The 1989 Midsummer Classic was played on July 11, at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California. Over sixty four thousand fans attended the 1989 All-Star Game. This game featured one of the most gifted and versatile athletes ever to play in professional sports. Bo Jackson was a standout player for the National Football League [NFL] as well as Major League Baseball [MLB], many felt that he could have been one of the greatest in both sports if his career had not ended so early on. It was a tough situation for a pitcher: First inning first batter, second pitch, the National League leading 2-0 in the 60th All-Star Game and Bo Jackson leading off against Rick Reuschel. With one swing of his bat, the tone was set.” When the ball hit the bat,” said National League manager Tommy Lasorda, “it sounded like he hit a golf ball.” The ball sailed high and far, soared over the center-field fence and landed an estimate four-hundred forty-eight feet from home plate.

From there, the game became a microcosm of vintage Jackson, Awesome home-run power, blazing speed when he stole a base and raced from left field to left center to catch a Pedro Guerrero liner with two runners in scoring position and two out in the National League’s first inning, and three-pitch strike out that was spectacular in its challenge of power versus power. Bo Jackson led off the bottom of the first with a home in his first All-Star Game at-bat and Wade Boggs followed with his own shot, to lead the American League to back-to-back wins for the first time since 1957-58. Nolan Ryan’s two shutout innings earned him the victory and made him the oldest winning All-Star pitcher in Midsummer Classic history. Bo Jackson won the All-Star Most Valuable Player Award for his stunning catch in the first, a leadoff home run and driving home the go ahead run during the second inning. The League was ecstatic from the variety of exciting and unpredictable games that the1980s had provided and hoped that this trend would last into the 90’s.The American League All-Star edge the Nationals 5-3.