How does a slap-hitting, part-time player make an All-Star team? Blame World War II. In 1944 baseball’s best — like Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams — were serving in the military, opening spots in the Midsummer Classic for mediocre players like Zak. Plus, the game was being held at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, so tapping the rookie saved baseball the cost of a train ticket in an era of rationing. That year Zak hit .300 — in just 160 at bats — with no home runs and a measly 11 RBIs. He got eight more hits over the rest of his career and was out of baseball two seasons later.