The 1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 26th edition of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

(AL) and

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL), the two leagues composing

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

. The game was played on Tuesday, July 7, at

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, home of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

of the NL, and was a 5–4 victory for the National League. An unprecedented second game was played four weeks later in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Background

In a break from tradition, the league scheduled a " doubleheader" as part of an effort to boost the players'

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

fund. The first game was held on Tuesday, July 7, at

, the home of the

of the National League. The second game was on Monday, August 3, at the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a me ...

, the home of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

, also of the NL. The first game resulted in a 5–4 victory for the NL. and the AL won the second game 5–3 for a split. The experiment of two All-Star Games continued for four seasons; the tradition of just one annual game resumed in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

Rosters

Players in ''italics'' have since been inducted into the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

American League

National League

**-x – Injured and could not play **-y – Injury replacement

Game

Umpires: '' Al Barlick'', Home Plate (NL);

Ed Runge Edward Paul Runge (May 12, 1918 – July 25, 2002) was an American professional baseball umpire. He worked in Major League Baseball between 1954 and 1970. During his career, he officiated three World Series and five All-Star games. Early life He ...

, First Base (AL); Augie Donatelli, Second Base (NL); Joe Paparella, Third Base (AL);

Shag Crawford Henry Charles "Shag" Crawford (August 30, 1916 – July 11, 2007) was an American professional umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1956 to 1975. During his twenty seasons in the National League, Crawford worked ...

, Left Field (NL);

Johnny Rice John LaClaire Rice (April 27, 1918 – January 1, 2011) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League for nineteen seasons. Rice umpired in three All-Star Games and four World Series. Early life Rice was born ...

, Right Field (AL)

Starting Lineups

Game Summary

References

External links

Baseball Almanac
{{DEFAULTSORT:1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (First Game) Major League Baseball All-Star Game

Major League Baseball All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and Nationa ...

Baseball in Pittsburgh

Major League Baseball All Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

July 1959 sports events in the United States Sports competitions in Pittsburgh 1950s in Pittsburgh