Time has been flying by, and here we are at Major League Baseball's unofficial halfway point, All-Star Week. There are numerous events planned but, of course, the pinnacle occurs on July 17, the 89th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the "Midsummer Classic," and it's always been a staple of my summer to watch and see what unfolds. Nearly 90 years of All-Star baseball have provided us with many memorable moments, so let's look back on some of the memories that past summers have provided.
 

1. Carl Hubbell Strikes Out Five Consecutive Future Hall-of-Famers (1934)

Arguably the most famous moment in All-Star Game history is at the top of our list. Carl Hubbell, a lefty who won 253 games with a sub-3 ERA in 16 seasons with the Giants, certainly earned his Hall-of-Fame enshrinement. But it was a "for fun" All-Star Game in which Hubbell shined the brightest. He retired five other future Hall-of-Famers in succession: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin, all via strikeout. Talk about dominant! 
 

2. Ted Williams' Walk-Off Home Run (1941)

When you think about the 1941 baseball season, the two primary headlines pop into your head: Joe DiMaggio setting the Major League record with a 56-game hitting streak, and Ted Williams being the last hitter to post a batting average above .400. DiMaggio and the Yankees may have been the World Series champs, but Williams had some feathers in his cap as well—including being the first player to slug a walk-off home run in All-Star Game history, as he turned a 5-4 deficit into a 7-5 victory for the Junior Circuit. 
 

3. Stu Miller Gets Blown Away (1961)

There was a weird phase in All-Star Game history from 1959 to 1962, during which each season had two All-Star Games (seems silly to me). Nevertheless, in the first All-Star Game of 1961, the National League sent in San Francisco Giant Stu Miller as their 3rd pitcher of the 9th inning, to nail down the win. Instead, Miller provided one of the more "beyond belief" moments in All-Star history, when a gust of wind caused him to fall off the mound. The result was a ruled a balk, which caused the game-tying run to score! The National League, however, got the last laugh, winning 5-4 in 10 innings (with Miller being the pitcher on the long end).
 

4. Reggie Jackson's Must-See Blast (1971)

There is a ton of baseball jargon out there, as we know. One of the countless entries to the baseball dictionary is the term "light tower power." We may not be 100% sure where the term originated, but it's a safe bet that Reggie Jackson's 1971 All-Star Game home run could be its origin. Reggie was so strong that his moonshot off NL hurler Dock Ellis literally hit the light tower at the top of the right field roof at Tigers Stadium, What a blast!
 

5. Lee Mazzilli's Performance (1979)

The 1979 All-Star Game (its 50th edition) at the Seattle Kingdome may as well be known as "The Lee Mazzilli Game" as Mazzilli was absolutely instrumental to the National League's victory that year. Entering the game in the 8th inning as a pinch hitter, Mazzilli took Texas reliever Jim Kern deep for a game-tying blast, and that was just Act One. Remaining in the game as the NL centerfielder, Mazzilli's second plate appearance came in the 9th inning with the bases loaded. He proceeded to work an RBI walk, for a run that put the NL up for good, 7-6.
 

6. Fred Lynn's Grand Slam (1983)

While 1979 was the 50th All-Star game overall, the 50th anniversary of the first All-Star Game (1933) took place at Chicago's Comiskey Park in 1983—meaning it took 50 years for the first grand slam to be hit in All-Star Game history. California Angel Fred Lynn took San Francisco's Atlee Hammaker deep with the sacks full in '83, to be the first to accomplish the feat. Interestingly, this is still the only grand slam home run in All-Star Game history!
 

7. Bo Jackson's Leadoff Home Run (1989)

A cool moment came early in the 1989 All-Star Game, in the bottom of the 1st inning. With then-President Ronald Reagan in the broadcast booth talking with play-by-play man Vin Scully, praising American League leadoff batter, Bo Jackson, Jackson rose to the occasion. He interrupted his presidential praise by smacking a leadoff home run way over the wall in centerfield for the AL's first run. 
 

8. Moises Alou and Tony Gwynn Walk It Off (1994)

This one is a personal, nostalgic favorite of mine. In 1994, the now-defunct Montreal Expos were outpacing all of baseball at the All-Star break with a .621 winning percentage. Though their season, and the 1994 baseball season as a whole, died a horrible death, Montreal's '94 season was surely unforgettable. Moises Alou provided Montreal baseball fans with a nice moment in the ASG, when he drove in Tony Gwynn with a walk-off double. Gwynn leaped in excitement when he was ruled safe at the plate. It was just a really innocent, honest, and happy moment in 1994, one of the final moments that fateful season would have. 
 

9. Cal Ripken Jr.'s Home Run (2001)

Athletes don't always get to go out on their own terms. But in 2001, "Iron Man" Cal Ripken, Jr. was certainly able to. Making it known that 2001 would be his final season, that year's All-Star Game became Ripken's 19th and final. After his AL teammate Alex Rodriguez switched positions so Cal could play at his original position of shortstop, Ripken provided a memorable moment in his first at-bat in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Coming to the plate to a big ovation, Ripken socked the first pitch over the left field wall for the AL's first run of the game. Going out in style! 
 

10. The Longest Game (2008)

One of my all-time favorite all-star memories is staying up during my collegiate years to watch this one—there was no way I would go to sleep before a winner was crowned. Tying the 1967 record for most innings in an All-Star Game, and setting the record for longest ASG in terms of time (4 hours, 50 minutes), the 2008 game was a classic. This one could have ended four innings earlier had Nate McLouth not gunned down the potential winning run at home in the 11th inning. As they say, all good things must come to an end, and this one did after 15 innings, at 1:38 AM, with the AL winning on a Michael Young sacrifice fly.

What's going to happen this year? We'll soon find out!

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