Yankees’ All-Star Memories: The Torre Years

Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

This July in just a few weeks, former Yankees skipper Joe Torre will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While Torre had an admirable playing career nabbing himself an MVP Award, nine all-star appearances, and even flirting with the Triple Crown in 1971, Torre really made a name for himself when he took over the Yankees in 1995. He took the helms and drove the late-90s Yankees Dynasty.

Torre would manage the Yankees for twelve seasons and accumulate a 1173 – 767 record as their leader. That’s nearly 100 wins a season. He would go on to capture six AL pennants, four World Series rings, and snag the 1996 and 1998 Manager of the Year Award. The 1998 team is still one of the greatest in the history of the game, going 114-48 in the regular season and 11-2 in the post season en route to the Yankees 24th World Series title.

Locking up all those pennants meant that Torre got to manage the Mid-Summer Classic six times. As a Yankee manager at the helms of the American League All Star Team, Torre never lost. In fact, all of the games but one were not even close. The 1997 victory was 3-1 and the 1999 win was 4-1 at the NL’s expense. The 2000 victory was not only sweet with Torre at the helm winning 6-3, but it was Derek Jeter’s All Star Game MVP performance, the first ever by a New York Yankee. The 2001 game was won 4-1, but Torre was in the dugout for Cal Ripken, Jr.’s last All Star blast. And then the 2002 game came along and changed the history of the game forever. The AL and the NL played to an 11-inning, 7-7 tie. It was only the second time in MLB history an All Star Game had done so. Wanting the players to give their all and managers to have enough left on the bench to go as many innings as possible, Commissioner Bud Selig changed the All Star Game from an exhibition to the determining factor for home field advantage in the World Series.

Torre would go on to manage one last All Star Game in 2004. The AL once again won that game 9-4 and Torre’s old friend Alfonso Soriano, now on the Texas Rangers, took home the MVP that night. Torre wrapped his All Star managerial career at 5-0-1 all in pinstripes. Now the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, Torre will be on hand to send off Derek Jeter in his final All Star Game. Be sure to tune in and catch all the action starting at 8 PM.