Lineups for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game in San Diego were revealed at a press conference Monday afternoon in Southern California, and San Francisco Giants hurler Johnny Cueto and Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale were tabbed as the starting pitchers for this year’s Midsummer Classic, per Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller.
Cueto earned the nod for manager Terry Collins’ National League side after going 13-1 with a league-high four complete games during the first half of the season. The 30-year-old also owns a 2.47 ERA and league-leading mark of 0.4 home runs allowed per nine innings.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle‘s John Shea, Cueto will be the first Giants pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Matt Cain in 2012.
On the flip side, American League manager Ned Yost will hand the ball to Sale. The White Sox pitcher has gone 14-3 with three complete games and a 3.38 ERA in 18 first-half starts.
Facing those two esteemed pitchers will be stellar lineups packed with plenty of power and speed. Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros will lead off for the AL, while Ben Zobrist will get things started for the NL at Petco Park:
The NL lineup underwent a bit of a shift in recent days after starting outfielders Dexter Fowler (hamstring) and Yoenis Cespedes (quad) were ruled out with injuries, so Carlos Gonzalez and Marcell Ozuna will assume their spots in Collins’ starting nine.
Sticking with the NL, San Diego Padres first baseman Wil Myers will start at designated hitter in front of a home crowd that figures to meet his arrival at the plate with raucous applause.
According to Miller, Collins handed the starting honor to Myers for a number of reasons:
On the AL side, all eyes will be on designated David Ortiz—who’s batting cleanup—in his final All-Star Game before he retires.
“I’ve seen some other players in their final season just be part of the All-Star Game—Mariano [Rivera], Cal Ripken, Ken Griffey,” Ortiz said, per ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber. “It’s something that as a player you’re always going to look at it as, I made it. As many times as I have, it’s something that’s very special and something I’ll never forget about.”
However, the NL will look to dethrone Ortiz and the AL with home-field advantage in the World Series on the line. The NL hasn’t tasted victory in the Midsummer Classic since 2012 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Speaking of trends, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout will attempt to become the first player in MLB history to win three consecutive All-Star Game MVP awards after taking home the hardware with stellar showings in 2014 and 2015.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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