Baseball Legends United for MLK in Forgotten 1970 Game

More than 31,000 fans watched something extraordinary unfold at Dodger Stadium on March 28, 1970: a baseball game where winning didn't matter.

The East-West Major League Baseball Classic brought together an unprecedented collection of talent to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who had been assassinated two years earlier. Twenty-three future Hall of Famers either played or coached in the game, creating what may be the most meaningful contest the sport has ever seen.

"I was honored to play there," Reggie Jackson, then just 23 years old, told MLB.com. "It was so special to be a part of that."

The idea was born from grief and purpose. After Dr. King's death in April 1968, players across Major League Baseball wanted to make a meaningful contribution during a time of national turmoil.

Working with Dr. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference, they created an All-Star game to raise money for the SCLC and the new King memorial center being built in Atlanta. Logistical challenges delayed the game by a year, but when it finally happened, everyone knew it was historic.

Joe DiMaggio and Roy Campanella managed the teams. Sandy Koufax, Satchel Paige, Stan Musial, and Larry Doby coached from the dugouts.

The lineup cards read like a fantasy: Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Lou Brock all took the field. Willie Mays flew from Tokyo, where the Giants were playing exhibition games, just to pinch-hit before flying back to Japan.

"This is too important to pass up," Mays said at the time.

Coretta Scott King threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Johnny Bench. Jackie Robinson watched from the stands as Mudcat Grant sang the national anthem in what witnesses described as a "glittering" white suit.

Before the game began, a portion of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech echoed through Dodger Stadium's speakers.

Why This Inspires

Pitcher Al Downing remembered the unity in that locker room. "All of the players were in unison, totally behind it," he said of the mix of Black, Latino, and white players.

Tom Seaver, who pitched three scoreless innings, put it simply: "If Dr. King could give his life for a cause he believed in, the least I can do is give one day for it."

Reggie Smith started in center field for the East team that won 5-1. He remembers meeting Mrs. King and Jackie Robinson vividly, though he doesn't recall his own stats from the game.

"In thinking back now, it was probably the first time that it didn't matter who won the game," Smith said decades later. "It was so special just being out there and what the game represented and stood for, bringing the nation together through baseball."

The game raised funds for Dr. King's memorial and showed what sports could be at their best: a gathering place for healing, unity, and hope during divided times.