Editor’s note: This summer the Cleveland Indians are hosting their sixth major league all-star game, which is the most by any franchise. This series will take a look at the previous contests in 1935, 1954, 1963, 1981 and 1997.
The Cleveland Indians entertained the best players in the majors during the third All-Star Game in 1935 as the American League won 4-1 on July 8.
Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia A’s was the hero of the day for the AL as he blasted a two-run homer and knocked in another in front of the what is now the second largest crowd in the history of the midsummer classic with 69,812 fans in attendance at Municipal Stadium. The Indians would have 72,086 attend the 1981 All-Star contest.
With New York Yankee Lou Gehrig on base in the first inning, Foxx hit what turned out to be his only homer in his all-star appearances from 1933 to 1941. Foxx tagged his shot off National League starter Bill Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The AL went on top 3-0 in the second when Joe Cronin of the Boston Red Sox drove in a run with a fly ball, which at that time was not a sacrifice fly.
After Bill Terry of the New York Giants had a RBI single in the fourth off AL starter Lefty Gomez of the Yankees, Foxx would add his final tally of the contest.
Cleveland’s Joe Vosmik, who was the starting right fielder, began the rally in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out single off Hal Schumacher of the New York Giants.
Detroit’s Charlie Gehringer followed with a single and Gehrig walked to load the bases. Foxx’s single scored Vosmik for the last run of the contest.
Gomez worked a record six innings to earn the victory on the mound allowing three hits with four strikeouts. Cleveland’s Mel Harder pitched the final three frames and gave up just one hit.
Foxx Leads AL
Foxx, who was in his 11th and final season with the A’s, topped the AL in homers with 36. He was traded to the Red Sox after the season and continued to have success. He would end his 20-year career with 534 homers and 1,922 RBI to go with a lifetime batting average of .325.
After hitting 58 homers in 1932, Foxx won a second straight Most Valuable Player award as he won the triple crown with 48 long balls, 163 RBI and batting average of .356.
He split time in 1942 with the Red Sox and Chicago Cubs before ended his career with the Philadelphia Philles in 1945. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951.
The Indians
The 1935 game was the only appearance for Vosmik as an all-star. That season he finished led the AL with 216 hits, 47 doubles and 20 triples. He finished third in the MVP voting behind Detroit’s Hank Greenburg and Boston’s Wes Ferrell, who didn’t play in the midsummer classic.
Harder was a four-time all-star during his 20-year career in Cleveland as he posted a 223-286 record. He was 22-11 in 1935 with an ERA of 3.29.
A Hall of Fame inductee in 1975, Earl Averill was selected, but he didn’t play. Averill was injured about a week before the all-star game as he had a firecracker explode in his hand.