Top 3 St. Louis Cardinals All Star Game Moments

The St. Louis Cardinals have been around a long time, and have employed a ton of All Star caliber talent, 125 different players and coaches since 1933 to be exact during their illustrious history. With great players, come great moments. Without any further ado, here are my Top 3 St. Louis Cardinals All Star Game moments.

Top 3 Cardinals All Star Game Moments

3. St. Louis Hosts the Midsummer Classic

In 2009, St. Louis finally got to showcase what baseball means in the Midwest, and they did the job admirably. Unfortunately, the NL took the loss in the actual game, but at the time there was a moment to me that  stood out much more than the actual game itself. As the pregame festivities were going on, the Cardinals living Hall of Famers were introduced, and naturally Baseball’s Perfect Knight was the last to be announced.

Musial brought the ball out to the mound for President Obama to throw out the first ceremonial first pitch by a president at the All Star game in 33 years, and Obama delivered the pitch to none other than Albert Pujols. At the time, I remember thinking that it was the literal passing of the torch from Stan to Albert as the city of St. Louis’ icon, and they used the President as a conduit to show just how important a moment that truly was.

2. McGee Has A Season To Remember

In 1985, I was a wide-eyed, baseball loving, 7, soon to be 8, year old kid in rural Illinois who cared about nothing more than playing baseball every chance I got, and when possible watching the St. Louis Cardinals, who had captured my attention in full at that point. While this moment didn’t make a real difference in the game, it made a difference to that 7 year old boy enough so that it still means something to me today. With ducks on the pond in the 9th inning, Willie McGee stepped up to the plate and produced a 2 run, ground rule double. The game was in hand at the time for the NL, but seeing one of my heroes deliver on the big stage meant quite a bit.

McGee was leading the league with a .344 average heading into the All Star break and that was enough for him to be named as a reserve to the game. In the end, McGee won the National League batting title with a .353 average. The All Star Game double was just one more jewel in the crown that season, and it provided further proof that 1985 was Willie’s year.

1. Stan Musial Hits an Extra Inning Walk Off HR in 1955 

While I wasn’t around to see this one for myself, I have had plenty of chances to see it on video replay, and the story behind it from Stan himself is even better. This moment was voted by the fans in 2011 on mlb.com as the greatest All Star Game moment, so how could it not top my list as well? I find it fitting that the final score was NL 6, AL 5. Way to go #6!

I’ve got nothing else to add, so why not let Bob Costas and Stan Musial take it from here?