The last time: Remembering the 1995 All-Star Game in Arlington

Editor’s note: Republished from the July 12, 1995, Star-Telegram

The 66th All-Star Game dazzled an enthusiastic sellout crowd of dignitaries and die-hard baseball fans at The Ballpark in Arlington last night, while drenching the city in international limelight for the first time in its history.

A crowd of 50,920 jammed the 15-month-old Ballpark to witness the first midsummer classic to feature a Japanese-born player and allowed the national pastime to emerge for a moment from the bitter pall cast by a year of labor strife.

The game also represents a triumph in Arlington’s 23-year struggle to attain the status of a major-league city. Since the city lured the Washington Senators in 1972, Arlington has not hosted the All-Star Game, much less post-season games.

“I think the overwhelming feeling is one of extraordinary pride in our city,” said Arlington Mayor Richard Greene, who spearheaded the city’s effort to build The Ballpark. “Today, we are doing something only one city in the world can do. And that’s very special. . . .

“It’s a great tribute to the people of our community, who had the vision to seize the opportunity they did in 1991 to build The Ballpark.”

The game, which began with a field temperature of 96 degrees and was won by the National League, 4-3, capped an 11-day parade of festivals and fireworks, some more successful than others, in Arlington, Fort Worth and Dallas. A record 135,000 people attended the four-day Riverfest at The Ballpark, while FanFest in Dallas and Street Fest in Fort Worth reported more modest attendance figures.

Last night’s game attracted celebrities such as boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Scott O’Grady, the Air Force pilot who was shot down over Bosnia last month. It was carried on prime time television by ABC and was watched in Japan at the breakfast hour, where the featured attraction was the National League’s starting pitcher, Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Former New York Yankees Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio received an award from the Army on behalf of major-leaguers who served in the armed forces during World War II. The occasion was the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. DiMaggio received one of the largest ovations of the night from the standing-room-only crowd.

O’Grady, a guest of Major League Baseball, said he had never attended a major-league game before last night’s contest.

“It’s nice to be here,” said O’Grady, who was wearing an Air Force “Aim High” cap and a T-shirt with the logo of the 555th Fighter Squadron.

“I don’t really watch much ball,” he said. “But I played it when I was a kid.”

Retired Rangers fireballer Nolan Ryan threw out the ceremonial first pitch, skipping one to Rodriguez. The crowd greeted Ryan with an ovation that lasted 38 seconds, the longest of the pregame introductions.

Fans began streaming into the $191 million Ballpark as soon as the gates opened at 3:30 p.m., some seeking autographs and others just to take in the spectacle.

In demand was Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., who is on pace to break Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 consecutive games played. Ripken spent long stretches of batting practice signing balls, bats, programs, seats and anything else fans offered.

Mujibur and Sirajul, the sidekicks on David Letterman’s late-night talk show, were recognized by the throngs of fans when they walked onto the field with the Letterman TV crew in tow during batting practice to listen in on player interviews.

The New York T-shirt vendors said their segment would be aired tonight. So far, they are having fun, they said.

“It’s good,” Mujibur said, while listening to an interview with Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. “We were at FanFest in Dallas today, and it was fun.”

When asked about their impression of The Ballpark in Arlington, Mujibur said, “Yeah, we like it.”

The game had its share of low points. Rangers relief pitcher Ed Vosberg and three others were cited Monday for scalping game tickets, said Arlington police Sgt. John Faber. A final count on the number of tickets confiscated and the number of people cited for scalping tickets wasn’t available last night. Staff writers Christopher Ave, Jan Jarvis, Mede Nix, Eric Zarate, Renee C. Lee, Mary Doclar, Kathryn Hopper, Jessamy Brown, Brian Higgins, and Laura Vozzella contributed to this report.