Steve Stone had a decent career, but he wasn't a great pitcher by any means. He did have one exceptional year, however, and that was 1980. He pitched 250 innings with a 3.23 ERA and was awarded the starting job at the All-Star Game on July 8th at Dodger Stadium.
Stone had never been in an all-star game before, let alone started one, but his manager Earl Weaver, also the manager of the American League All-Stars, handed him the ball thanks to first-half numbers that included four complete games and a 3.10 ERA.
Stone pitched three innings in the game and didn't allow one baserunner. In each of his three innings he sat the side down in order, striking out Dave Parker, Dave Kingman, and Bob Welch along the way. He completely dominated the National League in an era when it was normally the National League that did the dominating.
Unfortunately for the AL All-Stars, Stone's replacement was Tommy John, and John coughed up three runs in two and a third innings, which was enough for the the National League to go on and win their ninth consecutive midsummer classic. The AL only scored twice in the game, both runs coming on a Fred Lynn home run.
After his fantastic 1980 season, Stone had a miserable 1981. He pitched in only fifteen games with an ERA of 4.50. It was his last season in baseball. But his amazing performance in the 1980 All-Star Game was just one part of his most fantastic season, and one of the greatest achievements in Orioles All-Star history.