Sale, Scherzer named All-Star Game starters
There should be plenty of strikeouts in the first few innings of this year's Midsummer Classic.
Boston Red Sox southpaw Chris Sale and Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer - the first-half strikeout kings in their respective leagues - will lock horns Tuesday night as the starting pitchers in the 88th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Marlins Park.
Sale and Scherzer. pic.twitter.com/j04vZhXpCS
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) July 10, 2017
"I love the way Chris goes about his business," Scherzer said of his mound opponent at a press conference Monday afternoon, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. "He always brought out the best in me."
Sale offers raves about Scherzer's competitiveness. Mentions that both played for the La Crosse Loggers in summer ball.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) July 10, 2017
Both pitchers have dominated their respective leagues this season while racking up strikeouts at incredible paces to emerge as midseason Cy Young favorites.
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | K | WHIP | FIP | CG/SHO | K/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sale | 127.2* | 2.75 | 178** | 0.90* | 2.09** | 1/0 | 8.09* |
| Scherzer | 128.1 | 2.10** | 173* | 0.78** | 2.61* | 2*/0 | 6.41 |
*Indicates AL or NL leader
**Indicates MLB leader
It's the second time both pitchers have received this honor in their careers. Sale will be the American League's starter for a second consecutive season, as he threw the first inning of last year's 4-2 AL victory in San Diego.
The 28-year-old is the first AL hurler to start the All-Star Game in consecutive years since former Toronto Blue Jays ace Dave Stieb in 1983-84, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. He's also the first pitcher to ever start back-to-back Midsummer Classics for two different teams, having pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 2016.
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Scherzer's previous All-Star start came in 2013 as a member of the AL squad while he was a member of the Detroit Tigers. Interestingly enough, it was Sale who relieved Scherzer in the second inning of that contest at Citi Field.
When he takes the mound Tuesday night for Joe Maddon's National League squad, Scherzer will become only the fifth pitcher in history to start an All-Star Game for both leagues, joining Vida Blue, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and Roy Halladay.
Tuesday's game will represent the fifth career All-Star appearance for Scherzer, and the sixth for Sale.