LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will make the National League start Tuesday night in the first All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium since 1980, with Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan on the American League mound.
Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani will pitch in the AL as the designated hitter. He was the starting pitcher last year and led off as the DH in a 5-2 AL win in Denver.
Ohtani is 9-4 with a 2.38 ERA on the mound this year, striking out 123 in 87 innings. The reigning AL MVP shut out Houston in his last outing on Wednesday, and there was speculation that he could start this showcase in Southern California.
Ohtani said Monday that he will not pitch in the All-Star Game and will instead start the Angels’ first game after the break on Friday in Atlanta.
“The information we got from the Ohtani camp was that, you know, he probably shouldn’t or wouldn’t want to start, and that’s why we went with Shane then,” AL manager Dusty Baker of the Astros said Monday .
“They just said they’d rather he not perform,” Baker said.
Kershaw, 34, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, is 7-2 with a 2.14 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings. Two years ago, he helped Los Angeles win its first World Series title since 1988.
“It’s tough because obviously Sandy Alcantara, Tony Gonzalez, Max Fried, all those guys have better numbers than me and they have to start this game and I understand that,” Kershaw said. “But all that to say, I’m so glad to be able to do it here at Dodger Stadium.”
Kershaw, who passed Don Sutton for the team career strikeout lead in April, will become the third Dodgers pitcher to start the last seven All-Star Games, following Zack Greinke in 2015 in Cincinnati and Hyun Jin Ryu in 2019 Cleveland. He will become the 13th pitcher to start on his home turf, the first since former teammate Max Scherzer in 2018 in Washington.
“I think because we’re here in Los Angeles, home of the Dodgers … you throw it around and I think Clayton’s name just came to the fore to start this game,” NL manager Brian Snitker from Atlanta. “I think his reputation, what he’s meant to the game of baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers, I think it’s just perfect that he’s starting this game for us in the National League.”
Ohtani is 0 for 8 as a hitter against Kershaw. Last Friday night in Anaheim, Kershaw pitched a perfect game in the eighth inning and held Ohtani to the plate for three runs, striking him out twice.
“I don’t know how I pulled it out. I think I’ll try to pull it out again tomorrow and see what happens.” Kershaw said.
In the left-handed game, McClanahan became the second Rays pitcher to start an All-Star game since David Price in 2010 in Anaheim. McClanahan, a first-time All-Star, is 10-3 with a major league-leading 1.71 ERA and 147 strikeouts in 110 2/3 innings.
“To be honest, I’ve never seen him play and we haven’t played him at all this year, but everyone I’ve talked to has told me he’s disgusting,” Baker said.
Ohtani is followed in the AL batting order by New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, Boston third baseman Rafael Devers, Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Yankees left fielder Giancarlo Stanton, Minnesota center fielder Byron Buxton, Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, Cleveland second baseman Andres Gimenez and Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk.
Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will lead off the NL, followed by Dodgers center fielder Mookie Betts, San Diego third baseman Manny Machado, St. Louis first baseman Paul Goldschmidt , Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner, Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, Atlanta designated hitter William Contreras, San Francisco left fielder Joc Pederson and New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil.
Wilson and William Contreras are the first brothers to make All-Star rosters in the same year since Aaron and Brett Boone in 2003. The Contreras siblings are the fifth pair of siblings to start together in an All-Star Game, joining Mort and Walker Cooper in 1942 and 1943, Dixie and Harry Walker in 1947, Joe and Dom DiMaggio in 1949 and Roberto and Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1992.
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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws at the plate during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Friday, July 15, 2022, in Anaheim, California. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan throws against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Scott Audette)
Los Angeles Angels shortstop Shohei Ohtani stands near the on-deck circle during the third inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, July 7, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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