KC Royals: Bo Jackson Ten Best Plays As A Royal (Video)
By John Viril
Bo Jackson’s best play’s as a Kansas City Royal player: 7. Bo Leads Off 1989 All-Star Game With A Home Run
By 1989, Bo’s game had developed enough that he was a legitimate star and not just the greatest set of baseball tools walking the planet.
On July. 11, 1989, Bo Jackson played in his first (and only) MLB All-Star game.
If there were any doubts that Bo belonged with the game’s best, he completely erased them in the first inning. In the top of the inning, Bo Jackson made a diving catch to rob Pedro Guerrero on a two out drive to left that saved two runs. (Yeah, it was a great play. I didn’t include it because, well, Bo made a lot of great plays).
Bo then led off the bottom of the first inning. On the first pitch, he blasts a 448 foot home run off N.L. starter Rick Rueschel.
Uh. Yeah. I guess he belonged.
Other fun facts. Play the video. Notice who was calling the game. Sitting alongside legendary broadcast Vin Scully was former President Ronald Reagan. Reagan was then 78 years old, and had been out of office for less than six months.
Oddly enough, Reagan had called college football games on the radio earlier in his career. So, he wasn’t completely lost in the booth. Reagan even recounted playing football in college many years ago.
I doubt the former President saw ANYTHING like Bo on the field back in the days when he played as a 180 lb. guard on the offensive line at Eureka College.
Bo finished the All-Star game going 2 for 4, and added a stolen base. He became only the 2nd player in baseball history to both hit a home run and steal a base in the All-Star game, along with Hall-of-Fame legend Willie Mays. To this day, Jackson is the only player to ever hit a home run and steal a base in the same All-Star game.
Bo Jackson was named the All-Star MVP in the A.L.’s 5-3 victory.
The fact is Bo Jackson stole the show in Anaheim Stadium that day. He did it despite being surrounded by the biggest names in baseball, Hollywood stars, Disney characters, and the former President of the United States.
That’s called being a super-star.
Next: May 31. 1990