MLB All-Star Game: Each team’s worst All-Star selections ever
Los Angeles Angels – Ryne Duren (1961)
In 1961, we had the luxury of playing two All-Star games in the same day, giving fans the luxury of seeing more interleague stars when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Well, I use the term “stars” a bit loosely.
During their first year of existence, the Los Angeles Angels weren’t necessarily brimming with star players, but they still managed to send two representatives to the Mid-Summer Classic; pitchers Ken McBride an Ryn Duren. McBride was a solid representative and appeared in both games. Duren, not so much.
Primarily a reliever, the right-handed Duren was an interesting choice to say the least. In the first half of the season, Duren made 25 appearances and seven starts. In 59.2 innings of work, he posted a 3-9 record, a 4.98 ERA, and a 7.58 BB/9 ratio, but had an excellent 103 K/9 ratio . Needless to say, his inclusion in the game was interesting to say the least.
Perhaps it wasn’t so much based on performance as it was based on the show he created when entering the game. From jumping the fence out of the bullpen to launching his pitches above the catchers head and working his way down into the strike-zone during warm-ups, Duren was a showboat who didn’t necessarily bring that skill with him to the mound much in 1961.
While that may have been the reason he made the roster, Duren never threw a single pitch in Game One and was not on the roster for the second game, basically negating any reason to bring the show to Fenway Park.
Next: Los Angeles Dodgers - Tony Cuccinello (1933)