1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 70th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 13, 1999, at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the home of the Boston Red Sox of the American League. Fenway Park was chosen as host because the owners at the time were planning to build a New Fenway Park in a few years but were unable to get the project off  the ground in time for the game. The closing of Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, along with the move of the Milwaukee Brewers to the National League and the delay in the construction of Miller Park also played a role in the Red Sox being awarded the game. The pre-game ceremonies featured introductions of nominees for the All-Century Team, including longtime Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams. In two innings, AL starting pitcher Pedro Martínez struck out the first four batters of the National League, becoming the first pitcher in history to begin the All-Star Game striking out  the side. In all he struck out five of the six batters he faced, earning him Game MVP honors, becoming the second player in All-Star Game history to be named MVP as a member of the host team. The game resulted in a win for the American League by the final score of 4-1. Starting with the 1999 All-Star Game, the games would always be held either on the 2nd or 3rd Tuesday of July, from 1999 to 2017, it was held between July 9 and July 16, and on July 17 in 2018. Rosters. Players in  italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Game. Umpires. This was the last All-Star Game with umpires from separate leagues. In 2000, Major League Baseball unified the umpiring staffs under its control. Five of the umpires in this game (Evans, Tata, Ford, Johnson, and Vanover) lost their jobs less than two months later as part of the 1999 Major League Umpires Association mass resignation. However, through an arbitration process, Vanover was rehired before the 2002 season.