The Negro Leagues played their first All-Star game in the same year and same ballpark as the American and National Leagues: Comiskey Park in 1933. The East-West Classic became an annual event, played at Comiskey Park from 1933 through 1960 with a second game played in an Eastern ballpark several times as well. At least through 1948, these games were the highlight of the Negro League season and got tremendous newspaper coverage from the African-American press. And because these were All-Star games, the quality of the teams and players performing in these games was the highest possible in Negro League baseball.
Negro Leaguers also participated in additional All-Star games through the years, including, for example, several North-South All-Star games played in New Orleans and other Southern cities in the 1930s and 1940s.
Retrosheet has collected box scores for 35 All-Star games. Play-by-play accounts have been constructed for 28 (80%) of these games. Half of these play-by-play accounts come directly from newspaper accounts and half have been deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
September 10, 1933 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 000 320 002 7 7 2 West 001 303 31x 11 15 3 WP: Foster, LP: Hunter Retrosheet box score and play-by-playAugust 26, 1934 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 000 000 010 1 8 1 West 000 000 000 0 7 1 WP: Paige, LP: Foster Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 11, 1935 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 200 110 000 40 8 10 5 West 000 003 100 43 11 11 5 WP: Cornelius, LP: Dihigo Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 23, 1936 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 200 130 220 10 15 1 West 000 001 010 2 9 3 WP: Matlock, LP: Cornelius Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
August 8, 1937 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 010 200 130 7 12 1 West 000 101 000 2 5 4 WP: Morris, LP: Trent Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 21, 1938 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 300 010 000 4 11 0 West 104 000 00x 5 8 1 WP: Smith, LP: Walker Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 6, 1939 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 020 000 000 2 5 0 West 000 000 13x 4 8 1 WP: T. Radcliff, LP: Partlow Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 27, 1939 at Yankee Stadium, New York, New York West 100 001 000 2 7 2 East 140 010 04x 10 11 0 WP: Byrd, LP: Owens Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 18, 1940 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 200 114 030 11 14 0 West 000 000 000 0 5 6 WP: McHenry, LP: Bremer Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
July 27, 1941 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 200 600 000 8 5 4 West 100 000 020 3 8 5 WP: McDuffie, LP: Smith Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 16, 1942 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 001 010 102 5 11 1 West 001 001 000 2 5 2 WP: Day, LP: Paige Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 18, 1942 at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio East 005 011 011 9 13 2 West 002 000 000 2 9 4 WP: Smith, LP: Bremer Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 1, 1943 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 000 000 001 1 4 0 West 010 100 00x 2 6 0 WP: Paige, LP: Barnhill Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
August 13, 1944 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 010 100 200 4 11 2 West 101 050 00x 7 13 0 WP: Jessup, LP: Howard Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
July 29, 1945 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 000 000 105 6 10 1 West 044 100 00x 9 12 2 WP: Mathis, LP: Glover Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
August 15, 1946 at Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. West 000 300 000 3 6 2 East 200 220 00x 6 11 3 WP: Byrd, LP: Clark Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
August 18, 1946 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 000 000 010 1 4 3 West 000 220 00x 4 7 1 WP: Bankhead, LP: Byrd Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
July 27, 1947 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 010 000 010 2 3 0 West 202 000 01x 5 12 0 WP: Bankhead, LP: Manning Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
July 29, 1947 at Polo Grounds, New York, New York West 102 030 020 8 14 0 East 200 000 000 2 8 4 WP: Smith, LP: Lewis Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
August 22, 1948 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois East 000 000 000 0 3 2 West 020 000 01x 3 7 1 WP: Powell, LP: Lewis Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
August 24, 1948 at Yankee Stadium, New York, New York West 001 000 000 1 5 3 East 003 100 02x 6 9 0 WP: Manning, LP: Clarke Retrosheet box score and play-by-play
In addition to the East-West Classic, a North-South Classic was played for several years in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Most of these games were organized by New Orleans promoter Allen Page. Newspaper coverage of these games has been more elusive so far, but Retrosheet has been able to find box scores for eight North-South All-Star games and line scores for six additional games.
August 22, 1937 at Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama North 300 042 031 13 19 1 South 102 000 002 5 9 3 WP: Foster, LP: Barnes Retrosheet box scoreOctober 1, 1938 at Martin Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee North 000 001 000 1 7 4 South 100 000 20x 3 6 1 WP: Jefferson, LP: Byrd Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
October 1, 1939 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana North 071 200 000 10 19 3 South 000 000 001 1 6 1 WP: Gaines, LP: Wright Retrosheet box score
October 1, 1940 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana North 000 100 001 2 9 1 South 000 000 100 1 4 1 WP: Barbee, LP: Calhoun Retrosheet box score
October 4, 1940 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana ASN 000 041 3 8 7 0 AST 000 000 0 0 4 3 WP: Brown, LP: Jessup Retrosheet box score AST is Taylor's All-Stars, an All-Star team put together and managed by longtime Negro Leagues manager Candy Jim Taylor.
October 4, 1940 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana North 000 010 1 2 8 2 South 011 200 x 4 5 1 WP: E. Smith, LP: Snow Second game of three-team doubleheader. No box score found yet
September 27, 1942 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana, game 1 North 100 011 000 3 8 0 South 100 000 000 1 4 2 WP: Gaines, LP: Mathis No box score found yet
September 27, 1942 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana, game 2 North 000 000 3 3 3 1 South 000 001 0 1 4 0 WP: Calhoun, LP: Moss No box score found yet
September 28, 1942 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana North 000 020 0 2 3 5 South 072 001 x 10 13 2 WP: Hutchinson, LP: Anderson No box score found yet
September 26, 1943 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana North 000 001 100 2 13 4 South 410 000 00x 5 10 0 WP: Paige, LP: Barnhill Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
October 3, 1943 at Russwood Park, Memphis, Tennessee NNL 010 000 040 5 7 2 NAL 131 001 00x 6 9 1 WP: Mathis, LP: Barnhill No box score found yet
October 1, 1944 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana North 023 100 000 6 15 2 South 100 000 000 1 4 1 WP: McDuffie, LP: Paige Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
October 7, 1945 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana North 500 002 000 7 11 0 South 010 000 000 1 9 3 WP: Stanley, LP: Jessup Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
October 6, 1946 at Pelican Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana North 000 000 000 0 4 ? South 000 000 100 1 2 ? WP: Thompson, LP: Anderson No box score found yet
The Negro American League began play in 1937. In the first two seasons of the NAL's existence, All-Star teams from the NAL and NNL played each other in a series of postseason exhibitions. In 1937, the NNL team was comprised primarily of members of the NNL Champion Homestead Grays - and was generally referred to as the Homestead Grays in newspaper accounts of these games - while the NAL team was comprised primarily of members of the Chicago American Giants and Kansas City Monarchs - who had just completed the first NAL playoff series. Somewhat oddly, while the Monarchs won that playoff series, the NAL team that played the NNL/Homestead team was often referred to in newspaper accounts as the Chicago American Giants. The 1937 series could have included as many as 20 games, most of which have not been verified. The 1938 series appears to have been less extensive with only two known games (so far).
September 19, 1937 at Schorling Park, Chicago, Illinois NNL 000 131 000 5 10 1 NAL 000 101 000 2 4 5 WP: McDuffie, LP: Moss Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.September 20, 1937 at Victory Field, Indianapolis, Indiana NAL 000 000 000 0 9 2 NNL 100 200 00x 3 7 1 WP: Day, LP: H. Smith No box score found yet
September 21, 1937 at Hudson Field, Dayton, Ohio NNL 000 100 033 7 10 3 NAL 001 000 100 2 6 2 WP: R. Brown, LP: Foster Retrosheet box score
September 24, 1937 at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania NAL 000 000 000 0 7 0 NNL 110 030 13x 9 9 0 WP: Dula, LP: Cooper Retrosheet box score
September 26, 1937 at Oriole Park IV, Baltimore, Maryland, game 1 NAL 100 264 010 14 12 0 NNL 401 040 020 11 14 0 WP: Foster, LP: Welmaker Retrosheet box score
September 27, 1937 at Dexter Park, New York, New York NNL 302 004 005 14 20 3 NAL 000 000 130 4 7 4 WP: Parker, LP: Cooper No box score found yet
September 24, 1938 at at Penmar Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NAL 000 200 001 3 8 5 NNL 001 270 22x 14 14 0 WP: McDuffie, LP: Barnes Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
September 25, 1938 at Polo Grounds V, New York, New York NAL 000 110 200 0 4 7 2 NNL 000 000 040 1 5 8 1 WP: B. Brown, LP: Bruton Retrosheet box score and play-by-play Play-by-play deduced from newspaper game stories and box scores.
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