Top Tribe All-Star Performances: #5 - Earl Averill, 1934

Box Score

The official All-Star Games started in 1933, and it didn't take long for Cleveland players to make their mark in the Midsummer Classic.

Earl Averill didn't make the majors until he was 27 years old, and didn't play professionally until he was 24. The Indians pried him away from San Franicsco of the PCL for an incredible (at the time) $50,000. That gamble paid off, as Averill immediately became one of the best players in a league full of future Hall of Famers.

Averill made the 1934 All-Star team, but as a reserve. In those days, an All-Star reserve would be lucky to get a pinch-hit at-bat, as usually the starters would play the entire game. But in this game, a poor performance by starter Lefty Gomez led to a double switch, and Averill replaced Joe Medwick in the AL outfield.

His first action occurred in the fourth inning. He was brought in to pinch-hit for the pitcher with a runner on first and two outs. He tripled into the huge Polo Grounds outfield, driving in the AL's second run of the game. After the inning, he came in to play center, moving Al Simmons to left. In his next at-bat, he was in the middle of another big inning, driving in two runs with a bases-loaded double. The AL would score 6 runs in the inning, and took an 8-4 lead.

Averill hit into a double play in the sixth, and ended his day with a pop fly to the shortstop.

I'll have more to say about this game later on in the countdown.