The 1968 game represented a new era of baseball as it was the first All-Star game ever to be played in an outdoor arena on artificial turf. Many Fans disapproved of the league’s selection and felt that it ruined the ambience of the Midsummer Classic. For the third consecutive year, the All Star Game was highlighted by overpowering pitching. The two leagues combined for just eight hits and one run, which were earned by the National League in the first inning on a single, an error, a wild pitch and a double play. The unlucky pitcher was Luis Tiant, the Americans’ starter. Willie Mays led off the bottom of the first by grounding a single to a left. A pickoff attempt by Tiant got past first baseman Harmon Killewbrew and sent Mays to second. Then, as he delivered a fourth ball to Curt Flood, Tiant missed badly, the ball getting away for a wild pitch and Mays moving to third. With runners on first and third and still none out, Tiant induced Willie McCovey to ground into a double play and Mays scored.

The American League came close to score in the seventh when Tony Oliva hit one off the left-field fence that just missed being a home run. H e settled for a double and the American League eventually settled for its sixth straight loss. Willie Mays, who played because of an injury to starter Pete Rose, Scored the only run by either team, and became the first-two recipient of an All-Star Most Valuable Player Award. Tom Seaver stuck out five American League batters, Juan Marichal pitched two perfect innings, and nine of the pitchers did not allow a single walk. This was the first 1-0 shutout game in the history of the Midsummer Classic. This was also the first All-Star Game played in the state of Texas, the first played at the Astrodome, and the first to have more than 380,000 dollars in gate receipts. Many fans disapproved of the league’s selection and felt that it ruined the ambience of the Midsummer Classic. Whether or not the surroundings had an effect on the players is debatable, but the game resulted in the first 1-0 outcome in the series.