A few All-Star games ago, SF Chronicle baseball writer John Shea wrote the following:

       "No Giants pitcher has had success in an All-Star Game since Carl Hubbell."

Given the Giants' more recent All-Star pitching history, it's understandable that Shea would see things in an entirely negative light. But this remark was so howlingly off the mark that I feel an almost annual compulsion to deride it and refute it. The fact is, until Atlee Hammaker arrived on the All-Star scene in 1983, the Giants had a rather remarkable record of success in All-Star Game pitching.

Since moving to SF in 1958, Giants pitchers have compiled a 6-3 record, with an ERA of 4.18 (26 ER in 56 IP). However, a closer look at the record book reveals three distinct eras of SF Giants' All-Star Pitching performances: The first, I call the "Marichal Era" from 1958-71. Second is the transitional "Vida Era" from 1972-82. And then there's that period of time I like to call the "Atlee Era", extending from 1983 to present.

During the "Marichal Era", from 1958-71, Giants' pitchers went 5-0, and allowed just 4 ER in 35.1 IP, for a 1.02 ERA. Marichal, for his part, was remarkable--allowing just one earned run in his eight All-Star appearances, covering 18 innings of work.

One other thing--Stu Miller's '61 outing at the Candlestick Park All-Star game is often cited as another example of "The Curse". But check out Miller's line from that game: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. And he was the winning pitcher. Stu went on to toss three more scoreless innings in the *second* All-Star Game that year, at Fenway Park (that game ended in a 1-1 tie). Miller's very impressive '61 All-Star totals: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. In the years prior to the "Atlee Era", Giants' pitchers were 6-0, with a 1.43 ERA (7 ER in 44 IP).

Little did Atlee Hammaker know when he took the mound in Comiskey Park on that fateful night in 1983, that he was about to usher in a stretch where Giants pitchers would go 0-3, with an ERA of 20.86. The Atlee Era also was marked by the first instance of an SF Giant being the losing pitcher in an All-Star game (Jeff Brantley,'90).

Out of their first ten "Atlee Era" appearances, Giants pitchers emerged unscored upon in just two of them (Mike Krukow in '86 and Rod Beck in '94). A sign that the Atlee Era may be ending: With Brian Wilson's performance in last night's All-Star game following Jason Schmidt's two scoreless innings in 2003, the Giants now have consecutive scoreless All-Star pitching appearances for the first time since 1982 (just prior to the Atlee Era).

My conclusion is that Giants' pitchers are not cursed. They are merely suffering through the "Atlee Era"--a bad stretch which hopefully will soon come to a conclusion, and give way to another good era.

Here are the numbers:

'58: Antonelli (DNP)
'59 (1): Antonelli 0.1 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'59 (2): Sam Jones 2 IP, 0 ER
'60 (1): McCormick 2.1 IP, 0 ER
'60 (2): McCormick (DNP)
'61 (1): McCormick 3 IP, 1 ER / Miller 1.2, 0 ER (WP)
'61 (2): Miller 3 IP, 0 ER
'62 (1): Marichal 2 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'62 (2): Marichal 2 IP, 1 ER
'63: Marichal (DNP)
'64: Marichal 1 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'65: Marichal 3 IP, 0 ER
'66: Marichal 3 IP, 0 ER / Perry 2 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'67: Marichal 3 IP, 0 ER
'68: Marichal 2 IP, 0 ER
'69: Marichal (DNP)
'70: Perry 2 IP, 2 ER
'71: Marichal 2 IP, 0 ER
'76: Montefusco 2 IP, 0 ER
'77: Lavelle 2 IP, 0 ER
'78: Blue 3 IP, 3 ER
'80: Whitson (DNP)
'81: Blue 1 IP, 0 ER (WP)
'82: Minton 0.2 IP, 0 ER
'83: Atlee 0.2 IP, 7 ER / Lavelle (DNP)
'85: Garrelts (DNP)
'86: Krukow 1 IP, 0 ER
'88: Reuschel (DNP)
'89: Reuschel 1 IP, 2 ER
'90: Brantley 0.1 IP, 2 ER (LP)
'93: Burkett 0.2 IP, 3 ER (LP) / Beck 1 IP, 1 ER
'94: Beck 1.2 IP, 0 ER
'97: Estes 1 IP, 2 ER (LP) / Beck (DNP)
'98: Nen 1 IP, 1 ER
'99: Nen (DNP)
'02: Nen 1 IP, 1 ER
'03: Schmidt 2 IP, 0 ER
'04: Schmidt (DNP)
'06: Schmidt (DNP)
'08: Wilson 0.2 IP, 0 ER

"Marichal Era" (1958-71): 5-0, 35.1 IP, 4 ER, 1.02 ERA
"Vida Era" (1972-82): 1-0, 8.2 IP, 3 ER, 3.12 ERA
"Pre-Atlee Era" (1958-82): 6-0, 44 IP, 7 ER, 1.43 ERA
"Atlee Era" (1983-present): 0-3, 12 IP, 19 ER, 14.25 ERA

GASP Totals: 6-3, 56 IP, 26 ER, 4.18 ERA

Juan Marichal - All-Star totals: 18 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 9 SO, 2-0 W-L 0.50 ERA