AL, NL Starting Lineups Revealed for 2017 MLB All-Star Game
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured ColumnistJuly 10, 2017
Major League Baseball on Monday announced the starting lineups for Tuesday night's All-Star Game in Miami:
Coverage of the Midsummer Classic will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
The starting pitcher matchup will be a clash of former American League Central rivals, as Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale (11-4, 2.75 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 178 strikeouts) will face Washington Nationals star Max Scherzer (10-5, 2.10 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 173 strikeouts).
Sale was a member of the Chicago White Sox from 2010 to 2016, while Scherzer played for the Detroit Tigers from 2010 to 2014.
The hometown fans, meanwhile, will be treated with starters Giancarlo Stanton at designated hitter and Marcell Ozuna in left field. Stanton is one of baseball's most explosive power hitters, bashing 26 homers and 58 RBI this season, while Ozuna has been superb, hitting .316 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI.
Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper is the National League's headliner. The 24-year-old superstar is an MVP candidate once again, hitting .325/.431/.590 with 20 homers, 65 RBI and 69 runs in the first half. Washington leads all teams with four starters, as first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (.330 with 19 homers and 63 RBI) and second baseman Daniel Murphy (.342 with 14 homers and 64 RBI) will join Scherzer and Harper.
For the American League, Aaron Judge is the story. The New York Yankees rookie has been one of baseball's biggest surprises—and best players. He's hitting .329/.448/.691 with an MLB-leading 30 homers as well as 66 RBI. His home run total also set a franchise rookie record that had been held by Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio since 1936.
"That's a pretty special name he passed," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com. "It is really incredible what he has done in the first half of this season."
Other notable AL starters include a trio of Houston Astros: second baseman Jose Altuve (MLB-leading .347 batting average), shortstop Carlos Correa (.325 with 20 homers and 65 RBI) and left fielder George Springer (.310 with 27 homers and 61 RBI).