Though it took longer than expected to complete, Riverfront was hailed by the press as a sort of new-age stadium when it opened. It was the first stadium to have approximately 99 percent of its playing surface composed of Astroturf -- only home plate, the pitcher’s mound and sliding pits around first, second and third base were made of dirt. Though turf fields would later be criticized by both players and fans, the initial reviews were positive.

“This (the turf) has made our defense,” Reds manager Sparky Anderson told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “The players know they’ll get good hops and they can move better on it. I think in 10 years you won’t have any dirt infields left in the big leagues.”

Indeed, the new stadium was seen as a symbol of a new era for Cincinnati’s downtown.

“It is a monument to a new spirit in the Queen City,” wrote Jim Schottelkotte, sports editor for the Cincinnati Enquirer, “a spirit that might admit obstacles but didn’t let obstacles overcome it, a spirit that did enlist the best Cincinnatians had to offer and a spirit that did and is getting things done.”

Riverfront Stadium was not the only new addition for Reds fans to marvel at. Their team possessed a 10-game lead at the All-Star break and was stocked with young talented players who were forming “The Big Red Machine.” National League starters Johnny Bench and Tony Perez were making their third and fourth All-Star Game appearances, respectively, while pitchers Jim Merritt and Wayne Simpson, and outfielder Pete Rose rounded out Cincinnati’s five selections.

The AL carried a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but the National League refused to go quietly. San Francisco’s Dick Dietz led off with a solo home run off Oakland’s Catfish Hunter. Three more singles followed, capped by a sacrifice fly from Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente to send the game into extra innings.

The National League’s rally recalled the junior’s circuit’s recent frustrations. The NL had won seven straight All-Star Games prior to 1970, prompting New York Times columnist Arthur Daley to write the senior circuit had, “exerted such dominance in recent decades that only the older viewers of the All-Star series can remember that the Americans once held the same sort of superiority.”

The 50,000-plus at Riverfront enjoyed free baseball in the late hours of July 14, as the score remained tied at 4 until the bottom of the 12th. Then, with two outs, Rose reached on a single. The Dodgers’ Billy Grabarkewitz singled to move Rose to second base, setting up one of the Midsummer Classic’s most famous plays. Chicago’s Jim Hickman singled up the middle, and Rose rounded third. The throw from center field was on time and to the right of home plate, positioning the catcher, Fosse, up the third base line. Rose, sprinting at full speed, had a choice: Slide under Fosse, or try to jar the ball loose from his mitt.