July 6, 1933. Comiskey Park, Chicago. Forty-seven thousand fans packed into a ballpark built for the White Sox to watch something that had never happened before -- the best players in the American League against the best in the National League, in a game that mattered for nothing except bragging rights and the future of the sport.
The American League won 4-2. Babe Ruth hit the first home run in All-Star Game history. Lefty Gomez threw the first pitch. Five New York Yankees made the roster. Baseball's most enduring mid-season tradition was born in a single afternoon, and the Bronx owned it from the opening inning.
Arch Ward's Gamble
The game existed because one sportswriter wouldn't let the idea die. Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, proposed a "Game of the Century" to coincide with Chicago's Century of Progress World's Fair. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis wasn't sold on it. Team owners worried about injuries to their stars during an exhibition. Ward pushed anyway.
The plan called for a one-time event -- a spectacle to boost baseball's profile during the Great Depression, when attendance had cratered and the sport needed something to remind people why they cared. Ward convinced enough people that the risk was worth it. He was right. (He was also wrong about the "one-time" part, which turned out to be the best mistake anyone in baseball ever made.)
The Rosters
The American League squad was managed by Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics. The National League brought John McGraw out of retirement to manage one last game -- the legendary Giants skipper who'd stepped down after the 1932 season. McGraw would die less than a year later, in February 1934. This was his final act in a dugout.
The Yankees sent five players: Ruth in right field, Lou Gehrig at first base, Bill Dickey behind the plate, Tony Lazzeri at second, and Gomez on the mound. No franchise contributed more to the AL roster. For a team carrying nine future Hall of Famers during the 1933 season, having five All-Stars felt almost modest.
Gomez Throws First
Lefty Gomez, 24 years old and in the middle of a league-leading strikeout season, threw the first pitch in All-Star Game history. He started for the American League and held the National League scoreless through three innings. Gomez would go on to compile a 3-1 career record in All-Star Games -- the Midsummer Classic suited him. He had the stuff to match anyone on a given afternoon, and the swagger to enjoy the stage.
Ruth's Swing
The moment came in the bottom of the third inning. One runner on base. Ruth, 38 years old, knees aching, batting average slipping from where it had been even a year earlier -- stepped in against Bill Hallahan of the Cardinals. Hallahan threw. Ruth swung.
The ball sailed into the right-field stands at Comiskey Park. Two runs scored. The American League led 3-0. The first home run in All-Star Game history belonged to the biggest name the sport had ever produced.
Ruth rounded the bases the way he always did -- slowly, deliberately, savoring it. He knew what he'd just done, even if nobody yet understood that the game would become an annual tradition. That swing gave the All-Star Game its origin story, and it gave Ruth one more entry in a mythology that was already overflowing. (The man had a gift for showing up at exactly the right historical moment.)
The Final Score
The National League scored twice to cut the lead to 4-2, but the AL held on. Gomez got the win. The crowd went home satisfied. And the "one-time exhibition" became permanent almost immediately -- the demand was too strong, the spectacle too good, the star power too obvious to let it die after a single afternoon.
| Final Score | American League 4, National League 2 |
| Winning Pitcher | Lefty Gomez (Yankees) |
| Losing Pitcher | Bill Hallahan (Cardinals) |
| First HR | Babe Ruth, 2-run blast off Hallahan (3rd inning) |
| Yankees on Roster | Ruth, Gehrig, Dickey, Lazzeri, Gomez |
| Location | Comiskey Park, Chicago |
What It Meant
The inaugural All-Star Game did exactly what Ward hoped it would do -- and more. It reminded a Depression-weary nation that baseball still mattered. It gave fans a reason to argue about rosters and matchups during the dog days. It created a mid-summer event that would survive for decades.
For the Yankees, the game confirmed what everyone already knew: this was baseball's flagship franchise. Five players in the first All-Star Game. The first home run. The first winning pitcher. The club that had just swept the 1932 World Series stamped its presence on a brand-new tradition before the tradition even knew what it was.
Ruth wouldn't wear pinstripes much longer. By 1935, he'd be gone from the Bronx. But on a July afternoon in Chicago, with one swing, he gave baseball's newest event its founding moment. The game was supposed to happen once. Ruth's home run made sure it happened forever.
Ward Proposes the Game
Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward pitches a "Game of the Century" to coincide with the World's Fair. Commissioner Landis and several owners resist. Ward persists.
McGraw's Last Dugout
John McGraw, retired after the 1932 season, returns to manage the National League. It's his final act as a manager. He'll die in February 1934.
Gomez Throws the First Pitch
Lefty Gomez delivers the first pitch in All-Star Game history. He holds the NL scoreless through three innings and earns the win.
Ruth's Home Run
Babe Ruth hits a two-run homer off Bill Hallahan into the right-field stands. The first home run in All-Star Game history gives the AL a 3-0 lead.
The Tradition Takes Hold
Fan and media demand ensure the All-Star Game becomes an annual event rather than the one-time exhibition originally planned.
Gomez was the first All-Star. He threw the first pitch, earned the first win, and made the Midsummer Classic his personal stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who hit the first home run in All-Star Game history?
Babe Ruth hit the first home run in MLB All-Star Game history on July 6, 1933, at Comiskey Park in Chicago. It was a two-run blast off National League pitcher Bill Hallahan of the St. Louis Cardinals in the third inning, giving the American League a 3-0 lead in their eventual 4-2 victory. Ruth was 38 years old at the time.
When was the first MLB All-Star Game played?
The first MLB All-Star Game took place on July 6, 1933, at Comiskey Park in Chicago. It was organized by Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward as part of the Century of Progress World's Fair. The American League defeated the National League 4-2. Originally planned as a one-time event, fan demand turned it into an annual tradition.
How many Yankees were in the first All-Star Game?
Five Yankees were selected for the inaugural 1933 All-Star Game: Babe Ruth (who hit the first All-Star home run), Lou Gehrig, Bill Dickey, Tony Lazzeri, and Lefty Gomez (who threw the first pitch and earned the win). No other franchise had more representatives on the American League roster.
Who pitched in the first All-Star Game?
Lefty Gomez of the Yankees started for the American League and threw the first pitch in All-Star Game history. He pitched three scoreless innings and earned the win. Bill Hallahan of the Cardinals started for the National League and took the loss after allowing Babe Ruth's two-run homer in the third inning.