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Dean, Hubbell led NL to first win in 4th All-Star Game

Cardinals, Giants pitchers worked six shutout innings

Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.

Behind the pitching of Dizzy Dean and Carl Hubbell and the timely hitting of four Chicago Cubs, the National League got its first All-Star win in the fourth edition of the All-Star Game on July 7, 1936, at Braves Field in Boston.

Both Dean and Hubbell worked three shutout innings as the National League built up a 4-0 lead before holding on to a 4-3 win before only 25,556 -- the smallest crowd ever to see an All-Star Game.

The Cardinals' Dean started and allowed only two walks over three hitless innings. Hubbell, of the New York Giants, gave up two hits and a walk in his three shutout innings.

Meanwhile, the NL scored two runs in the second off American League starter Lefty Grove of the Boston Red Sox, and two more in the bottom of the fifth against Schoolboy Rowe of the Detroit Tigers.

Cubs right fielder Frank Demaree led off the NL second with a single off Grove and scored on a triple by catcher and Cubs teammate Gabby Hartnett, who then scored on a sacrifice fly by Phillies third baseman Pinky Whitney.

Cubs center fielder Augie Galan homered with one out in the fifth off Rowe to make it 3-0. Cubs second baseman Billy Herman followed with a single, advanced to second on an error by right fielder Joe DiMaggio and scored on a single by Cardinals left fielder Joe Medwick.

The AL then scored three runs in the top of the seventh. 

Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig homered to lead off the inning against Cubs pitcher Curt Davis. White Sox shortstop Luke Appling closed out the scoring with a two-run single before Cubs reliever Lon Warneke replaced Davis to get the final out in the seventh. Warneke closed out the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Herman had two hits for the NL. Tigers second baseman Charlie "The Mechanical Man" Gehringer had two of the AL's seven hits and also drew two walks.

For the first time in All-Star Game history, a rookie was voted into a starting lineup. But 21-year-old DiMaggio, who was hitting .358 for the Yankees, went 0-for-5 in the No. 3 spot behind Gehringer and committed two errors in right field. DiMaggio ended the three-run AL seventh when he lined out to Cardinals shortstop Leo Durocher with the bases loaded.

A year after 69,831 witnessed the third All-Star Game in Cleveland, the turnout for the game in Boston was almost 15,000 short of capacity at Braves Park. In the days leading up to the game, Boston newspapers erroneously reported the game was a sellout.  

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