Walter Alston knew who he wanted to close out the NL’s victory in the 1975 All-Star Game.
The Dodgers manager just couldn’t remember the pitcher’s name.
When Alston called down to the bullpen at Milwaukee’s County Stadium, he said, “Get the little left-hander with the curly hair who gets everybody out. I want him up.”
Andy Messersmith, who had answered the bullpen phone, turned to Randy Jones and relayed the message to the Padres pitcher.
“It happened so fast,” Jones said recently, reflecting on his All-Star experiences. “You know, 25 pitches later I’m going out the gate to pitch the ninth inning.