“The Greatest Game Never Played” was a simulated baseball broadcast aired on radio stations nationwide, featuring a hypothetical matchup between Major League Baseball greats.

The game followed the format of the Major League All-Star Game putting the National League against the American League. Shibe Park in Philadelphia was the fictional site of the game.

12 million people listened to the broadcast on the evening of July 14, 1982.

The Sporting News published the ballots in April and May of 1982. Fans could vote for nominated players by the editors or write in selections. The balloting produced. the starting lineups.

The Sporting News editors filled out the remainder of the rosters, named the managers, umpires and coaches.

The editors of The Sporting News set the batting order, made substitutions, selected offensive and defensive strategies.

The game was simulated using an Apple Computer. Hardware and software was also provided by Apple Computer. Jamie Friend of Palo Alto, California created the program.

The computer determined the most probable outcome in each situation based upon the lifetime statistics of the players involved.

On June 11, 1982 in the offices of The Sporting News ‘The Greatest Baseball Game Never Played’ was played on an Apple III Computer.

On June 21, 1982 Jack Buck and Lindsey Nelson would bring it all to life at Technisonic Studios in St. Louis, Missouri.

On the evening of July 14, 1982 ‘The Greatest Baseball Game Never Played’ was broadcast on 200 radio stations across the United States and Canada.

American League

Manager - Casey Stengel

Starting Lineup

1 - Phil Rizzuto, SS

2 - Ty Cobb, CF

3 - Ted Williams, LF

4 - Babe Ruth, RF

5 - Lou Gehrig, 1B

6 - Rod Carew, 2B

7 - Yogi Berra, C

8 - Brooks Robinson, 3B

9 - Whitey Ford, P

Reserves

Joe DiMaggio

Tris Speaker

Mickey Mantle

Reggie Jackson

Carl Yastrzemski

Jimmie Foxx

George Sisler

Eddie Collins

Charlie Gehringer

George Brett

Joe Cronin

Luis Aparicio

Mickey Cochrane

Bill Dickey

Bob Feller

Lefty Grove

Walter Johnson

Cy Young

Jim Palmer

Rollie Fingers

Gaylord Perry

National League

Manager - John McGraw

Starting Lineup

1 - Pete Rose, 1B

2 - Mike Schmidt, 3B

3 - Stan Musial, RF

4 - Hank Aaron, LF

5 - Willie Mays, CF

6 - Rogers Hornsby, 2B

7 - Honus Wagner, SS

8 - Roy Campanella, C

9 - Sandy Koufax, P

Reserves

Mel Ott

Roberto Clemente

Lou Brock

Frank Robinson

Bill Terry

Johnny Mize

Frank Frisch

Jackie Robinson

Pie Traynor

Eddie Mathews

Ernie Banks

Pee Wee Reese

Gabby Hartnett

Johnny Bench

Grover Alexander

Warren Spahn

Bob Gibson

Carl Hubbell

Christy Mathewson

Tom Seaver

Steve Carlton

Using the Strat-O-Matic Baseball Game I will re-create this game. I will use the cards of the Hall of Fame Set and the Baseball Heroes I Set.

All-Time All-Stars Meet, Via Computer

by Lowell Reidenbaugh, Senior Editor

St. Louis - Christy Mathewson pitched his last major league game in 1916. Henry Aaron made his major league debut in 1954. Yet, curious as it may seem, these Hall of Famers will be teammates on July 14.

Ty Cobb retired in 1928, the year that Whitey Ford was born. Yet they, too, will be teammates on the night after the All-Star Game in Montreal.

Only in the wonderful world of Wlater Mitty or Apple III could such anachronisms be resolved, as they will be when “The Greatest Baseball Game Never Played” is played.

Through the miracle of computer science, the all-time all-star teams of the American and National leagues will complete for the mythical championship of the universe. The contest will be presented in Shibe Park, the first steel-and-concrete major league park (1909) long since victimized by progress in North Philadelphia.

Sophisticated beyond anything envisioned by Alexander Cartwright, Connie Mack or Gene Mauch, “The Greatest Game Never Played” was produced in manner thus:

A custom computer program was developed exclusively for the contest, consisting of data tables representing various strategies such as sacrifice, steal, intentional walk, hit-and-run. Next, the best offensive year of each player was programmed against each pitcher’s most effective season. A random number table was applied to determine each pithcer-batter confrontation.

Next, game situations were applied, e.g. a runner on base with one out. The offensive team can attempt a sacrifice, steal or hit-and-run. The defensive team might choose to walk the batter intentionally or rely upon its superb pitching and dazzling defense.

When these decisions are made by Managers Casey Stengel and John McGraw (or editors of The Sporting News filling in for the departed geniuses), the pitcher and batter are permitted to go one-on-one.

What happens next, only Apple III knows. What will lefthanded-hitting Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig do against southpaw Sandy Koufax? Or how will righthanded hitters Henry Aaron, Willie Mays or rogers Hornsby fare against righthanders Walter Johnson and Bob Feller?

Millions of fans will be able to learn the results of these celestial encounters at 9 P.M. (EDT) July 14, when veteran broadcasters Jack Buck and Lindsey Nelson describe all the action over a network that includes outlets in Canada and Guam as well as the Armed Forces network radio system.

Mixed in with all the crowd reactions, recorded in major league parks since the start of the season, there may even be a growl or snarl from such legendary umpires as Bill McGowan, Tom Connolly, Jocko Conlan or Bill Klem, the Old Arbitrator who “never called one wrong” during his distinguished 36-year National League career.

This article appeared in the July 12, 1982 issue of The Sporting News. The only omissions from the original article are the starting lineups and remaining rosters that appear above.