It’s no secret that all-star games of the four major American team sports have lost almost all their luster over the years.

The Pro Bowl is long gone in the NFL, replaced by different attempts at silliness every year, and the NBA All-Star Game in its seemingly annual revamped form, is a far cry from the old days of the East vs. West.

The NHL, at least, had the surprisingly entertaining Four Nations tournament during its all-star break, a much better option than having the players divvied up into some kind of tournament.

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is still worth watching, though, especially for Pirates fans the past two games.

The Bucs’ second-year phenom Paul Skenes became the first player in MLB history to start the All-Star Game in his first two seasons, and was the most effective NL pitcher, the only one who pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts.

Skenes was in line to get the win after the NL got him two runs in the bottom of the first inning, and the home team in Atlanta was up 6-0 at one point. Remarkably, the NL pitchers collapsed, and a two-out infield single in the ninth tied the game for the AL, and forced the first home run tiebreaker, which set up the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber to be the hero with three swings and three homers.

There was no winning or losing pitcher in the game under that format, but if they wanted to award the win to an NL pitcher, it likely would’ve gone to Skenes, who also pitched a scoreless frame as last year’s NL starter.

Skenes’ arm isn’t the only one to shine for the Pirates over the years in the All-Star Game.

Dave Parker, who recently died before he had the chance to go through with his long overdue induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, became the only All-Star Game MVP based mostly on defense when he helped the NL hold off the AL with two assists in right field on cannon-like throws.

Parker was 1 for 3 with an infield hit, a sacrifice fly (off Nolan Ryan) and an intentional walk in the top of the ninth inning when Lee Mazzilli drew a bases-loaded walk to give the NL what proved to be the winning run. Mazzilli had hit a game-tying homer the previous inning and likely would’ve been the game MVP if not for Parker.

Parker’s first assist came in the seventh inning on a one-out high fly ball by Boston’s Jim Rice that he lost in the lights of the Seattle Kingdome. The ball bounced near the right field line and Parker whirled and fired a one-hop strike to nail Rice trying to stretch a double into a triple.

The out was key as the NL trailed by just a run, 6-5 at the time. Mazzilli would hit his home run in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-6.

Most Pirate fans have seen Parker’s eighth-inning throw that kept the game tied but might not recall the set up.

The Angels’ Brian Downing led off with a single against Bruce Sutter and hometown favorite Bruce Bochte of the Mariners put down a very rare All-Star Game sacrifice bunt to get Downing to second. After an intentional walk to Reggie Jackson and a Bobby Grich strikeout, lefty-hitting Craig Nettles laced a single into right field and Downing rounded third and headed to the plate with the potential go-ahead run.

Parker set himself, taking the ball on one bounce and fired an on-the-mark laser that catcher Gary Carter caught, and tagged out Downing who never even got to the plate as he was pushed aside (obstruction maybe in today’s game but not back then).

On the negative side, announcer Joe Garagiola, who I usually admired, screamed on the play, “What a tag by Carter! A tremendous play by Carter!”

What? Arguably the greatest throw in All-Star game history and Garagiola gushed over Carter’s tag, over-looking Parker’s iconic throw. All-Star Game MVP voters didn’t make that mistake, however, and awarded Parker the game MVP.

Speaking of overlooked, it was another Pirates right fielder who had a few important but now mostly forgotten moments in one of the greatest All-Star Games ever played.

If you’re an All-Star Game historian you know of the 1970 12-inning classic at Cincinnati’s then brand new Riverfront Stadium in which the NL’s Pete Rose ran over AL catcher Ray Fosse on a close play at the plate to score the walk-off (a term nobody even knew of back then) run in a 5-4 victory.

What you probably don’t recall is the role Pirates Hall-of-Famer Roberto Clemente played in that game.

It seemed the AL was on its way to an easy win and that Clemente wouldn’t even get in the game when the bottom of the ninth inning rolled around. The AL led 4-1 but the NL rallied to tie the game against Oakland ace Catfish Hunter and the Yankees’ Fritz Peterson and Mel Stottlemyre.

Dick Dietz led off the inning with a home run and Bud Harrelson followed with a single, One out later Joe Morgan singled and Orioles manager Earl Weaver then called on left-hander Peterson to relieve Hunter and face lefty-hitting Willie McCovey. The big Giants first baseman foiled the lefty-lefty matchup with an RBI single to center that scored Harrelson as Morgan raced to third. Another Yankee, right-hander Stottlemyre, then relieved Peterson.

With the tying run at third and one out, Mets manager Gil Hodges had Clemente pinch hit for the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson (who actually was a great hitting pitcher). It was a key at bat in the game and Clemente came through with a sacrifice fly to center field to tie the score at 4-4 and force extra innings.

Had Clemente not gotten that run home the iconic Rose-Fosse play may have never happened. Rose actually struck out to end the ninth-inning rally.

Clemente wasn’t done having an impact.

With one out in the top of the 10th inning, Tigers left-handed slugger Willie Horton hit a drive off the wall in right field. The AL looked like it surely would now have a runner in scoring position. Clemente played the carom off the wall perfectly and launched a throw into second base. It didn’t matter. Horton was nowhere near the base.

Watching Clemente field the ball, Horton froze, showing the great respect he had for Clemente’s rifle arm while rounding first, and retreated to the bag. It was a rare off-the-wall single (at least at that time as hitters never admired their long drives that didn’t clear the fence to settle for one base because they’re casually trotting).

The play loomed huge as instead of having the go-ahead run on second base with one out, that runner was on first, and the next batter, Amos Otis of the Royals, hit into an inning-ending double play.

Two innings later, the NL got two-out singles off the Angels’ Clyde Wright from Rose and the Dodgers’ Billy Grabarkewitz (although mostly forgotten, his hit was key as well, putting Rose in scoring position). Jim Hickman of the Cubs delivered the clutch single that brought in Rose on a play that separated Fosse’s shoulder and basically ruined his career.

Skenes likely isn’t done starting All-Star Games, but he wasn’t the first Pirate to make his mark on that stage with a golden arm, thanks to Clemente and Parker.

Rob Burchianti is sports editor of the Herald-Standard and can be reached at rburchianti@heraldstandard.com