Revisiting the 2000 MLB All-Star Game at Turner Field
The 2000 MLB All-Star Game featured incredible talent and unforgettable moments. From a Braves legend throwing the first pitch to a certain third baseman hitting a homer in his home ballpark, this game had it all.
As we approach the current All-Star break, I thought it would be fun to revisit when the Atlanta Braves hosted the 2000 All-Star Game at Turner Field. This game featured a lot of future hall-of-fame baseball players and special moments that won't soon be forgotten.
Turner Field was host to many exciting events over the years and there are so many special moments that happened there. Hosting the 2000 All-Star game provided even more of those memories.
Fans witnessed Randy Johnson, Derek Jeter, Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, and many other future hall-of-famers in action. The Atlanta Braves were represented by Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Andres Galarraga, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and legendary manager Bobby Cox.
Those are some incredible names to be featured in any ASG but especially one in their home ballpark. It was an electric atmosphere even during the announcing of the lineups, the first pitch, and the game itself.
Atlanta Braves fans vigorously applauded their favorite players but one of them received a bigger reception than the others. That player was Andres Galarraga who had just returned after missing the 1999 season as he was undergoing treatment for a cancerous tumor located in his back.
Galarraga was just happy to be back on the field and contributing to the team but he was having one of the best seasons of his career at the time and made it all the more impressive. There have been some amazing first basemen to don the Atlanta uniform but Galarraga is one of my all-time favorites.
Henry Aaron threw out the ceremonial first pitch because why wouldn't you pick the legend that is Hammerin' Hank? I couldn't think of a better person to throw out the first pitch in Atlanta.
Randy Johnson started for the NL squad and was opposed by Toronto Blue Jays pitcher David Wells. There were so many great pitchers involved in this game and as it has been for many years now the American League squad won 6-3 at the end of the day.
Carl Everett drove in Derek Jeter in the third inning to give the AL All-Stars an early lead and they would score two more in the fourth thanks to a two-run single by Jeter. The Yankees legendary shortstop had also doubled off of Randy Johnson in the first inning and his three-hit night earned him ASG MVP.
The American League team added 3 runs in the top of the ninth off of Trevor Hoffman. Matt Lawton, Magglio Ordonez, and Darin Erstad all drove in runs against the now hall-of-fame closer.
Keeping up with the Joneses
It wouldn't be an All-Star Game in Atlanta if a Braves star or two didn't show up and show out. Two of the three runs scored by the National League came off the bats of Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones.
Chipper started things off in the first inning with a single off of David Wells but ultimately, the NL wouldn't score that inning. If you thought the crowd was loud when Chipper singled in the first, it was a whole different story in the third.
The Braves third baseman launched an opposite-field homer to left field while facing White Sox Pitcher James Baldwin. It appeared off the bat it was going to be a double into the gap but the ball just kept carrying and carrying. It was an electric atmosphere at Turner Field after that.
That home run made Chipper the 13th player in MLB history to homer in their home ballpark during an All-Star game. Henry Aaron also accomplished this feat in 1972 when Atlanta first hosted the Summer Classic.
Chipper also had a hit in the bottom of the fifth inning which made him 3-for-3 on the evening and solidified just how good of a hitter he was.
The second run for the NL came in the bottom of the fifth after Andruw Jones had an RBI single against Oakland A's reliever Jason Isringhausen that scored Gary Sheffield, who was with the Dodgers at the time.
That was pretty much it for the National League until the bottom of the ninth when someone not on the Atlanta Braves, drove in the third run. That run was scored against another incredible closer that some of you may have heard of, named Mariano Rivera.
Steve Finley of the Arizona Diamondbacks laced an RBI single to center field and scored Mike Lieberthal for the NL's final run of the night.
Tom Glavine did appear in the game during the fifth inning and pitched a scoreless inning allowing no runs on no hits with no walks and one strikeout. He was the only Braves pitcher to appear during the game.
It was a historic night of baseball with some of the biggest names in the sport. However, when it mattered most two of Atlanta's stars shone the brightest and delivered in key moments. This is an All-Star game I won't soon forget.
With the 2023 iteration of the ASG taking place in Seattle on Tuesday night, there are plenty of Braves on the roster to make more memories for Atlanta fans. An historic eight Braves players were selected to the Summer Classic this year. Who do you think will have the most impact?