Editor’s note: This story was originally published on July 6, 2024.
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
If you don‘t like the baseball All-Star game, blame a sports writer.
On July 6, 1933, the first All-Star baseball game was played at Chicago’s Comiskey Park; the American League defeated the National League 4-2 behind winning pitcher Lefty Gomez of the New York Yankees.
A guy named Babe Ruth cracked a home run in the third inning, and the midseason classic became a classic.
According to Baseball Almanac, the contest was initiated at the insistence of Arch Ward, a sports editor for the Chicago Tribune, to coincide with the celebration of the city’s “Century of Progress” Exposition.
Some did not believe that a contest of this magnitude could possibly live up to the fan’s expectations, especially for those who lived in the far Western states and had never been to a major league baseball game.
The doubters were wrong.
The Deseret News reported on the game and shared plenty of coverage with its fans.
“Babe Ruth blazed out as the star of stars once more today to smash out a home run in the third inning to give the American League All-Stars the winning margin in a great 4 to 2 victory over the hand-picked aces of the National league before 49,000 spectators,” read the front page of the newspaper.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about MLB All-Star game history:
“Memories of when Ruth and Rajah put on a show”
“`Baseball palace’ no longer: Comiskey Park era closes”
“Ten great moments in All-Star Game history”
“Long-ball discussion mounts as All-Star game draws near”
“70 years after Babe Ruth’s death, fans still flock to grave”
“How Utah will be involved in this year’s MLB All-Star Game”
“Time to pull the plug on all-star games”
“How does Utah getting an NHL team impact the effort to land an MLB team?”
The National Football League played its first all-star game in 1939; the event later became the Pro Bowl. The National Basketball Association started playing its all-star game in 1951.
Also of note, on June 1, 1933, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened a 500-foot exhibit in the Hall of Religions at the Century of Progress World’s Fair.