A Look Back at Dodger Stadium’s Last All-Star Game

Major League Baseball recently announced that Los Angeles will host the mid-summer classic in 2020, the first one at Dodgers Stadium since 1980. Forty years is an awfully long time, but the wait is finally over.

Currently, the Dodgers have gone the longest period of time without hosting an All-Star game than any other MLB team. Many cities have hosted an All-Star game twice since the Dodgers last did so.

Commissioner Rob Manfred announcing 2020 All Star Game return to Dodger Stadium. pic.twitter.com/rXPSzYtrNt

— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) April 11, 2018

As the third oldest park in baseball, Dodgers Stadium’s drought shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as MLB usually tends to award the game to newer ballparks. Still, 40 years still seems too long for a historic place like Chavez Ravine to go without hosting a game.

To examine exactly how long it’s been, consider the following:

The last time the Dodgers hosted an All-Star Game:

– Rich Hill was just 4 month old, and Chase Utley was a year and a half (but still had the same grey hair I imagine.)

– Tommy Lasorda was in just his 4^th season as Dodgers manager.

– Dodgers’ Don Sutton would lead the league in ERA, with a 2.20 mark at seasons end. Steve Garvey led baseball with 163 game played.

– Fernando Valenzuela was about to make his major-league debut. He went on to pitch 17 innings and appear in 10 games out of the bullpen for the Dodgers that year. He did not give up a single earned run.

– Mike Schmidt and George Brett would win league MVPs later that year.

– NBA rookie, Magic Johnson, had just led the Los Angeles Lakers to their 7^th Championship, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals. The Lakers have won nine Championships since then.

– The Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XIV (14), their 4^th Super Bowl at the time.

– The United States Olympic Hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in the famous, “Miracle On Ice” earlier that year.

– The World population was 4.5 billion people. It’s currently over 7.5 billion.

– Jimmy Carter was the President of the United States. We’ve had six Presidents after him.

– The United States, in response to the Soviet Union occupation, began to help and aid Afghanistan forces by supplying them with weapons. The U.S would be at war with those same Afghan forces just 20 years later.

– NASA’s Voyager 1 flies close to Saturn, confirming one of its moons. The Voyager officially left our Solar System a few years ago, and is now approximately 12 billion miles from Earth.

– The first 24-hour news channel, CNN, was just launched.

– John Lennon returns from hiatus and does his final recordings before being shot and killed later that year.

– The billboard top 10 includes Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall,” Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You,” while AC/DC releases their album, Back in Black.

– The Empire Strikes Back just got released in theaters.

Analysis

As you can see, a lot of time has passed since the All-Star game was last hosted by the Dodgers. And as old as Dodgers Stadium is, who knows, this may be the last one we get to see there. So savor it, and let’s hope it’s not another 40 years until we get to see the next All-Star game in Los Angeles.