SEATTLE -- Major League Baseball’s 2001 All-Star Game will forever be remembered as the perfect swan song for Cal Ripken Jr., the last Midsummer Classic for Tony Gwynn, a humorous tumble by Tommy Lasorda and a breakout party for the hometown Mariners.
The 4-1 victory for the American League featured Ripken launching a third-inning home run and earning All-Star Game MVP honors in his 19th and final All-Star appearance.
Ripken was the headline act for the first All-Star Game held at Seattle’s new Safeco Field, and the script played out perfectly for the Orioles’ Iron Man. Though Ripken was voted by fans as the AL’s starting third baseman, the Rangers’ Alex Rodriguez -- elected to start at shortstop -- moved to third base when the AL squad took to the field in the top of the first and insisted Ripken slide over to his old position.
With the crowd roaring its approval, Ripken reluctantly made the switch, which resulted in him setting a new All-Star record for most appearances at shortstop (15). And Ripken -- who hadn’t started a regular-season game at shortstop since 1996 -- put the icing on the cake by turning around a first-pitch fastball by the Dodgers’ Chan Ho Park in the third inning for the second All-Star homer of his career.
Ripken didn’t try to hide how special that moment was in his Hall of Fame career.
“The shot of adrenaline, the rush, the consistent feeling of goose bumps down the back of your neck [was amazing]," Ripken said. "Maybe I could have run a three-minute mile at that point."
The 40-year-old Ripken wasn’t the only one enjoying a gorgeous July afternoon in Seattle, however. Mariners fans were treated to eight of their team’s players competing on the winning AL squad, with rookie sensation Ichiro Suzuki leading off the game with an infield single off former Mariners ace Randy Johnson, Freddy Garcia winding up as the winning pitcher thanks to Ripken’s go-ahead homer following Garcia’s perfect third inning and Seattle closer Kazuhiro Sasaki earning the save with a perfect ninth.
The Mariners hit the All-Star break with a remarkable 63-24 record and 19-game lead in the AL West, on their way to an MLB-record-tying 116 wins. They were rewarded with a franchise-record eight All-Star selections -- with Ichiro joined in the starting lineup by first baseman John Olerud, second baseman Bret Boone and designated hitter Edgar Martinez. Center fielder Mike Cameron played as a backup, and reliever Jeff Nelson was on the pitching staff with Garcia and Sasaki.
That group helped the AL roll to victory, with the White Sox Magglio Ordonez and Yankees’ Derek Jeter hitting back-to-back homers in the sixth to seal the victory.
Lasorda, coaching third base in the sixth inning for National League, avoided injury -- but wound up on blooper reels -- after tumbling head over heels trying to avoid a broken bat of Vladimir Guerrero.
“I’m not quite as agile as I used to be,” said Lasorda, who was 73 at the time.