Honus Wagner
October 7, 1902: Perhaps the first all-star game in North American sports is played, at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh, home of the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates' current stadium, PNC Park, is built roughly on the site. The Pirates, including the great shortstop John Peter "Honus" Wagner, beat a team of American League all-stars‚ 4-3. Sam Leever is the winning pitcher, and Cy Young of the Boston Americans (Red Sox) is the losing pitcher.
The Pirates ran away with the National League Pennant, going 103-36, to finish a record 27 1/2 games ahead of the 2nd-place team, the Brooklyn Superbas, forerunners of the Dodgers. In the American League, and across the State of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Athletics, managed by Connie Mack -- the eventual "Grand Old Man of Baseball" was about to turn 40 -- won the Pennant by 5 games over the St. Louis Browns. However, with the Leagues still "at war" with each other, there would be no postseason World Series until the following year.
October 7, 1902 was a Tuesday. This was the only score on this historic day: Football was in midweek, hockey was still all-amateur, and basketball barely existed.
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