5 best Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star Game performances of all time

The All-Star game is here, and the Pirates have two of their players attending (including one, Paul Skenes, absorbing a very prominent starting role in the spotlight).

Over the years, the Pirates have had some very big names in the All-Star Game, and many have delivered with some great performances. These are the five best Pirates All-Star performances of all time.

Which Pirates have had the best All-Star performances in team history?

No. 1: Arky Vaughn, 1941 All-Star Game

The best performance in an All-Star Game by a Pirate came from Arky Vaughn in 1941. In that game, Vaughn had a three-hit day, which included two home runs and four runs batted in. The National League lost that game on a walk-off in the ninth inning, but Vaughn drove in four of the NL's five runs.

No. 2: Ralph Kiner, 1949-1951 All-Star Games

The second-best performance came from Pirates slugger Ralph Kiner. Unlike the others, this took place over three years' worth of consecutive All-Star Games. From 1949-1951, Kiner hit a home run in each of those three contests. You read that right: Kiner hit a home run in three straight All-Star Games.

No. 3: Vince DiMaggio, 1943 All-Star Game

Vince DiMaggio had an incredible performance in the 1943 All-Star Game. He got up three times at the plate and got a hit each time. Among those three hits, DiMaggio notched a home run and a triple. The American League could not get him out in this game, which led to one of the best Pirates performances of all time.

No. 4: Roberto Clemente, 1961 All-Star Game

It was hard to keep Pirates legend Roberto Clemente off of a list of strong performances, as he always put together special ones, especially in front of a crowd. In the first 1961 All-Star Game (they used to play two per season, for a spell!), Clemente had two hits, which included a triple and two runs batted in. That helped spur the National League's takedown of the American League 5-4.

#5: Willie Stargell, 1965 All-Star Game

The last big performance by a Pirate in an All-Star Game came from Willie Stargell in 1965. In this game, Stargell had two hits with a home run and two runs batted in. This two-run homer came in the second inning to give the National League a 5-0 lead, and they would go on to win 6-5.

Tonight, we will see if Paul Skenes or Bryan Reynolds will be able to find their way onto this leaderboard. Skenes will likely only pitch an inning, but he has already made history with this game, so a solid performance could help that case. Reynolds is not starting tonight, but will come into the game later on.