Verlander, Ryu named starting pitchers for All-Star Game
Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander and Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu will square off as the starting pitchers in Tuesday's All-Star Game, the league announced.
The starting lineups for the contest in Cleveland have also been released.
The 2019 #AllStarGame starting lineups are official! pic.twitter.com/OOoRhiNpH8
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 8, 2019
AL All-Star team manager Alex Cora joked with Verlander about being the "opener" after the eight-time All-Star asked him about it.
"You know what? You are. You are the opener," Cora replied, according to Evan Woodbery of mlive.com.
.@JustinVerlander is now an 8-time #AllStarGame selection 🙌
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 8, 2019
Carlos Peña caught up with the AL starter at Media Day. #MLBTonight #TakeItBack pic.twitter.com/ncBqfaomuW
Cora also revealed New York Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka will probably pitch after Verlander, and left-hander Aroldis Chapman will be the AL's closer, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
NL All-Star manager Dave Roberts plans to use fellow Dodger Clayton Kershaw after Ryu and then likely go to New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Verlander, 36, will start the Midsummer Classic for the second time in his career - he got the nod for the first time in 2012. Ryu will be the first Korean-born pitcher ever to start an All-Star Game, according to MLB Stats.
Both pitchers have had outstanding seasons so far with Verlander accruing a 2.98 ERA with 153 strikeouts - second most in the AL. Ryu, a first time All-Star, leads the majors with a 1.73 ERA and a stunning 0.82 BB/9 rate.