Ken Caminiti’s All-Star Game homer on this date — July 9 — in 1996 was a first for a Padre and a coming-out party of sorts in the middle of his MVP campaign, also a first for a Padres player. But San Diego’s third baseman wasn’t even invited to the game until the Giants’ Matt Williams was hit on the elbow by a Tim Worrell pitch.
“Under the circumstances, it leaves you feeling a little unwanted,” Caminiti told the Union-Tribune before the game at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium. “Somebody had to break down before I got here. But I’m happy to be here.