Phillies have rich history at Midsummer Classic

July means Major League Baseball takes a break and plays the All-Star Game, a tradition that began 80 years ago in Chicago.

The Phillies had two representatives, Dick Bartell and Chuck Klein, start for the National League in the game played at Comiskey Park on July 6, 1933. Klein batted third and got a sixth-inning single in four at-bats. Bartell was hitless in two at-bats while batting seventh. The American League won, 4-2.

The Midsummer Classic has been played every year since then, except in 1945. Because of World War II, no game was played that year. From 1959-62, two games were played.

Four games have been played in Philadelphia -- 1943 and '52 at Shibe Park; '76 and '96 at Veteran Stadium.

Phillies All-Star fun facts

• Domonic Brown has been selected for Tuesday's game at Citi Field in New York. The last Phillies left fielder to make the team was Raul Ibanez (2009).

• Cliff Lee is on the team for the second time in a Phillies uniform; he also suited up for the 2011 All-Star Game. In that game, he allowed one run on three hits in 1 2/3 innings.

• Former third baseman Mike Schmidt leads all Phillies players in All-Star Game selections with 12.

• The most appearances by a Phillies pitcher is seven, shared by right-hander Robin Roberts and left-hander Steve Carlton. Roberts has the most starts with five (1950-51, 1953-55).

• Left-handed pitcher Curt Simmons started in 1952, making it six straight years a Phillies pitcher started for the NL.

• Seven rookies have been selected to All-Star teams: Del Ennis (1946); Richie Ashburn ('48); Jack Sanford ('57); Ray Culp ('63); Juan Samuel ('84); Tyler Green ('95) and Jimmy Rollins (2001).

• Three Phillies have been the winning pitcher: left-hander Ken Raffensberger (1944), and right-handers Doug Jones ('94) and Heathcliff Slocumb ('95).

• Johnny Callison is the only Phillies player to win the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, when he drilled a walk-off three-run homer at Shea Stadium in 1964.

• In addition to Callison, three others have homered: Richie Allen (1967), Greg Luzinski (1977) and Mike Schmidt (1981). Schmidt was the first Phillies player to get a triple.

• Managers have a combined 6-1 record. Eddie Sawyer (1951), Gene Mauch ('65), Dallas Green ('81), Paul Owens ('84), Jim Fregosi ('94) and Charlie Manuel (2010) all won. Manuel lost the 2009 All-Star Game, 4-3.

• The first Phillies pitcher to start for the NL was right-hander Robin Roberts (1950); the last was Roy Halladay in 2011.

• The most Phillies on an All-Star team has been five, and that's been accomplished six times (1976, '79, '81, '95, 2009, '11).

• Bobby Abreu (2005) and Ryan Howard ('06) are the only Phillies to win the Home Run Derby.