The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as “The Midsummer Classic,” is an annual baseball game intended to mark a symbolic halfway-point in the MLB season. Every year, dozens of the best players in the American and National leagues come together to battle it out for bragging rights. Over the years, this classic game has seen many incredible performances that have gone down into baseball history.
In this article, we will go over some of the most impressive records from past All-Star Games. We’ll look at which player has played in the most games and collected the most hits, which team has won the most games and more. We’ll also take a look at some unique records like who has hit for the cycle in an All-Star Game or who was responsible for recording three home runs in a single game? Hold on tight—we’re about to journey through some of MLB’s unbelievable records!
Who has Won More All Star Games MLB
The All-Star Game is one of the most iconic annual events in MLB. It’s a thrilling event filled with flashy plays and record-breaking performances.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the historically impressive all-star game records. We’ll compare some of the most impressive accomplishments and rank the all-time leaders, among other things.
Let’s get into the details.
Major League Baseball
The Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition baseball game held between the leagues’ best players from around the world. Since 1933, it has been the official midseason exhibition for Major League Baseball and has featured memorable moments, both on and off the field. On the field, some of MLB’s biggest stars have shined, while others have made records which may never be broken.
Here is a look at some of MLB’s all-time All-Star Game records:
Most Games Played: Carl Yastrzemski (23 games played)
Most Hits: Stan Musial (25 hits)
Most Home Runs : Ted Williams (13 home runs)
Most Games Started: Ivan Rodriguez (17 games started)
Most Innings Caught: Ted Simmons (97 innings caught)
Most Strikeouts Pitched : Randy Johnson (44 strikeouts pitched)
Longest Winning Streak : National League (1997-2009; 13 consecutive wins streak).
Most All-Star Game Appearances
The most all-star game appearances ever made was by the legendary baseball player and National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee, Ted Williams. He made a record of 19 All-Star Game appearances from 1940 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1960. This record still stands and is unbroken, as of 2019.
Other notable players with high All-Star Game appearance records are Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, who both have 18 appearances, Stan Musial with 17, followed by Carl Yastrzemski and Cal Ripken Jr., who have 16. These five players have more than 20 All-Star Game selections between them – an impressive feat worthy of recognition in its own right!
Most All-Star Game Wins
All-Star games are a popular source of entertainment in national sporting leagues, giving players the opportunity to showcase their skills against the best and brightest of their peers. While intangibles such as hustle, drive, and overall spirit are part of the game’s attraction, most fans recognize that each All-Star Game is also a contest for supremacy when it comes to the sport itself. As such, a number of records have been established throughout All-Star play – from individual performance feats to overall team victory totals.
One key record is the number of All-Star Games won by various teams and individuals. Although outcomes can change every year, certain teams have managed to consistently come out on top over time. With that in mind, here are two of the top scorers when it comes to All-Star game wins:
* The Los Angeles Lakers have won 19 All-Star Games – more than any other team in history – with 16 wins coming in NBA play and 3 during ABA competition.
* Michael Jordan holds the title for most wins by an individual player, with 14 victories during his storied NBA career – six in individual competitions and eight as part of a team win.
Most All-Star Game MVPs
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is presented to the most outstanding player in each All-Star Game. Since the inaugural All-Star Game back in 1933, there have been several players who have won the award multiple times. Here are the three most decorated recipients of the MVP in All-Star Game history:
1. LeBron James – James earned four MVP awards during his career, with two coming consecutively (2006 and 2008). He also made a record-setting 14 All-Star appearances.
2. Bob Pettit – This former St. Louis Hawks star won two MVP trophies during his career, both in consecutive years (1958 and 1959). His 24.2 points per game average still stands as a record for All-Star Games played between 1956 and 1988.
3. Kobe Bryant – Arguably one of the best shooting guards to ever play, Bryant brought home four MVP awards during his illustrious career (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011). In 2011 he also set an all-time scoring record for an All-Star game with 37 points on 14/26 shooting from the field and 9/10 from the stripe.
National League
The National League has produced some of the greatest players in Major League Baseball, so it’s no surprise that it has also seen its fair share of impressive All-Star Game records. From hitting streaks to home runs, here are some of the top NL All-Star Game records to date.
Hitting Streak: St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial has the longest hitting streak in NL All-Star Game history, going 8 for 10 with an .800 batting average and 4 runs scored from 1949 to 1956.
Home Runs: San Francisco Giants Freddie Lindstrom hit a total of 3 home runs over his three appearances in 1932, 1934 and 1936 for a combined total of 6 runs batted in and a .714 slugging percentage.
Most Appearances: Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Barry Bonds made the most appearances as an NL All-Star, tallying 14 games over 12 years (1992 – 2004), while Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo made his 7th appearance this year — shooting up the ranks at second place with 6 starts (2014 – 2019).
All Time Hits Leader: Phillies great Mike Schmidt is still No. 1 in all time hits by an NL player, with 17 hits over 13 games (1973 – 1989).
Most All-Star Game Appearances
Major League Baseball’s All-Star game is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. Players from all 30 teams come together or a night of baseball to determine who will represent the National or American leagues in the MLB World Series. Since its first game in 1933, the All-Star game has seen some remarkable feats both on and off the field. Below is a list of players with the most appearances in All-Star games:
1. Hank Aaron – 22 Appearances (1955–1976)
2. Stan Musial – 20 Appearances (1943–1963)
3. Willie Mays – 19 Appearances (1954–1973)
4. Carl Yastrzemski – 18 Appearances (1961–1983)
5. Mickey Mantle – 16 Appearances ( 1952–1968)
6. Pete Rose: 15 Appearances (1963–1986)
7. Ted Williams: 15 Appearances ( 1939, 1941, 1946–1960 )
8. Joe DiMaggio: 14 Appearances ( 1936–1942, 1946 )
9. Cal Ripken Jr.: 14 Appearances ( 1984, 1986–2001 )
10. Ernie Banks: 14 Appearances 1965, 1967 – 1981 )
Most All-Star Game Wins
All-Star Games often feature the best players in each Major League Baseball (MLB) division and the winner of each match-up is awarded the iconic All-Star Game Trophy. MLB has a number of records related to the All-Star game, some of which involve winning streaks, strikeouts, and most home runs. Below are two records related to Most All-Star Game Wins.
Current Record Holder: National League with 43 wins
The National League’s (NL) all-star game wins currently stand at 43 since the game’s first iteration in 1933. The NL has had a steady win record in recent years, but it took them more than 100 games before they reached their current record.
Most Consecutive Wins: American League with 13 wins
In 1963, the American League (AL) embarked on what would become an impressive 13 game All-Star winning streak that lasted through 1975. Since then, no team has been able to come close to matching this record; however, from 1996 to 2012 there was a close race between both leagues because seven out of those thirteen years saw the AL pulling off razor thin victories.
Most All-Star Game MVPs
In Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, the Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually to the player(s) deemed to have had the best performance. This award began in 1962 and since then, three players have won the award a record three times.
The first of these three players is Willie Mays who held his three MVP awards from 1963, 1968 and 1972. Mays’ third MVP win came when played for the San Francisco Giants at age 38 after hitting a double and scoring a run in extra innings of a tie game.
The second player who won MVP honors was Mike Schmidt who had his winning games in 1974, 1976 and 1981; all while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. In his first two wins Schmidt hit home runs to tie and then win the contests before going 2-2 with an RBI in 1981 to take home his third honor as an All-Star MVP.
Finally, Gary Carter earned his MVP nods while splitting time with both Montreal (1981 & 1984) and The New York Mets (1986). In 1981 he hit two solo home runs off of future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton before doubling in two runs off of Charlie Hough, helping him secure back-to-back all-star game MVPs. His third came has part of group effort that saw him score two key runs for his team during their win run in 1986 over The American League squad 8-6.
American League
The American League All-Star team first convened in 1933. Since then, the American League has won more All-Star games than their National League counterparts, with their winning percentage currently standing at 63%.
The following is a list of records held by the American League in the All-Star game:
- Most Consecutive Wins: 6 (1951-1956)
- Most Wins: 43
- Most Home Runs: 53
- Most Total Bases: 253
- Best Win Percentage Overall (.630): The AL has won 43 of the 68 games for a .630 win percentage
- Longest Winning Streak: 6 (1951–56)
- Longest Losing Streak: 8 (1984–91)
Many current and former Major Leaguers have set various individual records during the All Star Game. Some of these include most hit batters (Nolan Ryan), most home runs in an all star game (Carlos Delgado), and best batting average for an all star game (Willie Mays). Additionally, some of the greatest players in baseball history have held several individual records at one point including Reggie Jackson and Joe DiMaggio who each have won two MVP awards.
Most All-Star Game Appearances
The Most All-Star Game Appearances in a career are held by Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul Jabbar with a total of 18 selections. Other iconic players who appear on the all-time leaderboard include current Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and arguably the greatest player to ever play, Michael Jordan.
Aside from individual players, team records for most All-Star games in one season and in multiple seasons also dominate the record books. The Boston Celtics have the most selections for a single season with 9 players making an appearance in 1957 and 10 players in 1973. The New York Knicks hold the record for multiple seasons with 8 players being selected over seven consecutive years: 1972-1978.
Today’s generation is well represented as well, with newly inducted Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan leading their respective conferences at 18 All-Star Games each (though Duncan only played 17 due to injury). Laker star Anthony Davis has already made seven appearances since being drafted first overall back in 2012, while Giannis Antetokounmpo looks poised to pass both by year’s end after appearing in his sixth All-Star game this past February.
Most All-Star Game Wins
Over the course of 89 All Star Games, several players have become renowned for their performance. Of all those who’ve appeared in the competition, two names stand out above the rest – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant. Both have gone down in All-Star Game history for having earned the most wins out of any player to have ever graced the court, having each racked up 10 victories during their time with Team USA.
Abdul-Jabbar first appeared at the All-Star game in 1970 and continued to make appearances until his retirement from professional basketball in 1989, bagging 10 wins throughout that period. Bryant similarly participated in 18 consecutive games during his 20 year run as a professional player, also totaling 10 wins over that span of time. The two both dominated their respective eras of basketball, and their records attest to that fact.
In addition to these two players’ tremendous winning streaks, former teammate and friend Magic Johnson has accumulated 9 victories while being a 12-time selection for Team USA – putting him close behind them on this list; though it must be said that they remain untouchable when it comes to All-Star Games Wins!
Most All-Star Game MVPs
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is an annual game that is played between the All-Stars from the two American League teams and those from the two National League teams. It is a mid-season match to showcase the best of each league and has been held since 1933. Throughout the years, several players have been selected as Most Valuable Players for their accomplishments in a given All Star Game.
Here are the players who have won this award three or more times:
Mickey Mantle – 5 MVPs (1951, 1952, 1957, 1959, 1962)
Willie Mays – 4 MVPs (1954, 1957, 1963, 1968)
Cal Ripken Jr. – 3 MVPs (1991, 2001, 2007)
Ken Griffey Jr. – 3 MVPs (1992, 1999, 2000)
