Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
The 1970 All-Star Game will always be remembered for Pete Rose running over catcher Ray Fosse in the 12th inning to give the National League a 5-4 win.
The NL won a record eighth straight game after scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 4 and force extra innings.
Clyde Wright of the California Angels retired the first two hitters he faced in the 12th, when Rose singled to center and advanced to second on a single by Dodgers third baseman Billy Grabarkewitz.
First baseman Jim Hickman of the Chicago Cubs followed with a third straight hit off Wright, a sharp line drive to center that Amos Otis of the Kansas City Royals fielded and threw to Fosse at home.
What ensued was one of the more controversial plays in All-Star Game history. Fosse, who had moved several steps up the third-base line to field the throw from Otis, blocked the plate against Rose, triggering a collision. The Reds outfielder, who was playing on his home turf of Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, bowled over the Indians catcher and scored for a walk-off win.
As Rose touched the plate, the dazed Fosse remained on the ground. It was later determined that Fosse had suffered a shoulder separation and fracture.
Some observers believed Rose had gone too far in what essentially is an exhibition. Rose's defense was simply that he was trying to score to win the game. Sadly, Fosse was never quite the same player.
The July 14 game began as a pitching duel and was scoreless after five innings.
Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles started for the American League and allowed a hit and a walk with three strikeouts over three innings. His NL counterpart, Tom Seaver of the New York Mets, was even tougher, allowing one hit in three innings while striking out four.
Sam McDowell of the Indians followed Palmer and pitched three more scoreless innings, allowing a hit and three walks with three strikeouts. Jim Merritt of the Reds pitched two more scoreless innings. But the AL broke up the scoreless tie in top of the sixth and built a 4-1 lead over the next three innings behind Boston's Carl Yastrzemski, who finished 4-for-6 with a double, a run scored and an RBI to earn the game's Most Valuable Player honors despite being on the losing team.
Fosse singled to open the sixth, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on Yastrzemski's two-out single off Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants.
The AL scored a second run off Perry in the seventh as third baseman Brooks Robinson of the Orioles singled with one out, advanced to third on a walk and an infield single by Orioles second baseman Davey Johnson and scored on Fosse's line out to deep center.
Cito Gaston, the first Padres player to appear in an All-Star Game, had a hand in the NL scoring its first run in the bottom of the seventh. Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson opened the inning with a single off Jim Perry of the Twins. Gaston drew a walk and Perry hit Denis Menke of the Astros to load the bases with none out. Harrelson scored when Giants first baseman Willie McCovey grounded into a double play.
The AL widened its lead to 4-1 in the top of the eighth against Cardinals' ace Bob Gibson. Yastrzemski and Detroit outfielder Willie Horton hit back-to-back, one-out singles and scored when Robinson tripled over the head of Gaston in center.
With the AL leading 4-1, Oakland's Catfish Hunter pitched the ninth and immediately gave up a lead-off homer to Giants catcher Dick Dietz to make it 4-2. Harrelson followed with a single and moved to second on a single by Astros second baseman Joe Morgan.
AL manager Earl Weaver of the Orioles replaced Hunter with Fritz Peterson of the Yankees, who was greeted with a run-scoring single by McCovey with Morgan racing to third. Mel Stottlemyre replaced Peterson and immediately gave up a game-tying sacrifice fly to the Pirates' Roberto Clemente.
Despite allowing three hits and a walk, Claude Osteen of the Dodgers worked the final three scoreless innings for the NL to get the win.
The AL outhit the National League, 12-10, with Yastrzemski accounting for a one-third the total. Robinson was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Horton was 2-for-2 with a walk. Shortstops Don Kessinger of the Chicago Cubs and Harrelson each had two hits.
Gaston, who entered the game in the top of the sixth as a defensive replacement in center for Willie Mays, was 0-for-2 with a walk.
President Richard Nixon threw out the game's ceremonial first pitch.