New York (AFP) – New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout were among those named as starters on Saturday for the 96th Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Top players from the National and American leagues will meet in the annual showdown of superstars on July 14 at Philadelphia. The American League leads the all-time rivalry 48-45 with two drawn after the NL won 7-6 last year in Atlanta.
Starting position players for both teams were selected in two rounds of fan voting. Japanese star Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers was the top overall NL vote-getter in round one to claim a designated hitter spot earlier, while Toronto’s Ernie Clement took the AL starting spot at second base. Players vote for a remaining 17 players — eight pitchers and nine position reserves — for each team while MLB commissioner Rob Manfred selects four pitchers and two position players for each team.
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Joining designated hitter Ohtani as an NL starter were outfielders Brandon Marsh of Philadelphia, Andy Pages of the Dodgers, and Juan Soto of the New York Mets. NL infield starters included Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman — chosen for his 10th career All-Star contest — and third baseman Max Muncy, Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies, catcher Drake Baldwin, and Washington shortstop CJ Abrams.
In the American League, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Trout was selected to his 12th career All-Star Game. He has a hamstring injury but hopes to recover in time to play less than an hour’s drive from his New Jersey hometown. Joining Trout in the AL outfield starting lineup were New York Yankees slugger Judge and Minnesota’s Byron Buxton. The infield includes Clement, Tampa Bay third baseman Junior Caminero, Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., and Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers, whose team is in the process of moving to Las Vegas. Houston’s Yordan Alvarez was voted the AL designated hitter.
NL pitchers selected included Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, Philadelphia’s Christopher Sanchez, 10th-time All-Star Chris Sale of Atlanta, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, and Japanese hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers. AL pitchers included Cam Schlittler of the Yankees, Toronto’s Dylan Cease, and Boston’s Aroldis Chapman.
Hitting and pitching star Ohtani, who led the Los Angeles Dodgers to World Series titles the past two years with two of his four league Most Valuable Player seasons, has a biceps injury and is not expected to be available to pitch in the All-Star clash. Ohtani’s strong performance on the mound as well as at designated hitter saw him selected for both roles in the All-Star Game. Ohtani is 8-2 on the mound this season with a 1.79 earned-run average and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings. At the plate, Ohtani is batting .288 with 18 home runs and 50 runs batted in over 85 games. His final scheduled start before the mid-season classic is Friday against Arizona, however, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t see the 31-year-old right-hander pitching in Philadelphia. “We don’t know that yet,” Roberts said.
© 2024 AFP
