The 1971 MLB All-Star Game at Tiger Stadium is arguably the high point in Detroit baseball history.
Just three years earlier, the Detroit Tigers were the reigning champions of baseball after finishing off the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1968 World Series. The heart and soul of the team continued on into the early 1970s and went on to win the American League Eastern division title in 1972.
The 1971 All-Star Game came at a time when Detroiters couldn’t get enough baseball. I hear more people reminisce about the All-Star Game than any other sporting event. It is, perhaps, one of the most memorable All-Star Games ever played.
There were something like 22 future Hall of Famers who participated in the game. The lead off hitter was Willie Mays. Reggie Jackson provided serious melodrama with his monster shot off the electrical transformer in right field. The American League won — and ended a miserable All-Star drought that lasted nearly a decade.
Memories of the 1971 All-Star Game also help preserve the grandeur of Tiger Stadium in all its green and white glory — something Detroit Tigers fans still hold dear.
