Relive 1993 All-Star Game, the first at Camden

BALTIMORE -- Still one of the architectural highlights of the baseball circuit, Camden Yards was barely a year old when it hosted the 1993 All-Star Game, a chance for Baltimore's jewel of a new ballpark to shine in the sport's annual midsummer spotlight.

As is tradition, the 9-3 American League win was a showcase for baseball's biggest stars, from hometown hero Cal Ripken Jr. to game MVP Kirby Puckett to Gary Sheffield and others. And packed with 48,147 fans, the stadium lived up to the hype.

But this Midsummer Classic is ultimately remembered more for two lasting images: one scary turned comical, then-MLB Commissioner Bug Selig would later call "very ugly."

First, the funny: Because what else can you call John Kruk ducking out of the way of a high-and-tight fastball from Randy Johnson, then spinning back to the dugout in lighthearted defeat three pitches later? Kruk's hapless blooper-reel-type strikeout got laughs from all over at the time, and it lives on as one of the most famously funny moments in All-Star Game history.

"He wants no part of Randy Johnson," Tim McCarver chuckles on the broadcast. "You knew that was coming. John had no chance!"

But while Kruk and the Big Unit's third-inning interaction had fans clutching their stomachs, many later left Camden Yards with a sour taste in their mouth. Fans packed the ballpark for what was the city of Baltimore's first All-Star Game since 1958, hoping to see its hometown stars. Besides Ripken, the Orioles were also represented by ace Mike Mussina and first-base coach Johnny Oates.

The way Mussina was handled by AL manager Cito Gaston shaped the way All-Star Games would be managed for years to come. By not letting Mussina pitch in a blowout in front of the hometown crowd, Gaston ignited a controversy that resulted in his AL squad being booed off the field. Gatson warmed Mussina up several times in the bullpen, but he bypassed him three times, saying later he was saving Mussina for extra innings if necessary.

Other All-Star managers took notice.

In subsequent years, All-Star managers made careful effort to get as many players into each game as possible, especially players from the game's host city. Many believe this trend led to the 2002 All-Star Game's infamous 7-7 tie in Milwaukee, where both AL and NL teams ran out of pitching after 11 innings. The draw resulted in MLB implementing competitive incentives to the game in 2003 via a rule that awarded home-field advantage in the World Series to the winning league in each year's All-Star Game. That rule was lifted in 2018.

Most managers still try to get as much of their All-Star roster into each year's game as they can.