337 and leading the league in doubles with 34, and right fielder Mookie Betts, who’s leading the American League in total bases with 197.
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And it won’t affect a lot of them at all. The league that won the season series could be awarded home field advantage. That’s all I’m really going to try and do …
This is why I still enjoy the All-Star Game.
While I’m doing my annual All-Star rant, it’s also good to point out that Dodger Stadium has hosted only one All-Star Game and that was in 1980. That said, no one plays defence better than this Giant and his. Some years the moment is just bigger, making it memorable for generations.
Sale, who lives in Naples in the offseason and remains a great supporter of FGCU, became the first Eagle student-athlete to have his jersey retired when his No. 41 was recognized during a halftime ceremony of a men’s basketball game on January 31, 2015. Though the Pirates All-Star selection went to dominant reliever Mark Melancon, Polanco has reason to consider himself hard done by. He leads all second baseman in hits, home runs, runs batted in, and batting average. And let’s face it, players are chosen on a half-season sample.
2002 – The 73rd All-Star game ends in a tie when MLB Commissioner Bud Selig decides to stop the game after 11 innings because the teams had run out of players. With the requirement of having one player from each team, Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera was selected as an All-Star. However if such a rule didn’t exist, perhaps Polanco would have taken his spot.
Sale is the third White Sox pitcher to start the All-Star Game. Cueto is hardly a consolation prize; his 13 wins rank second in Major League Baseball, and his 2.47 ERA ranks third. In 2012, Sale was 10-2 with a 2.19 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 98 strikeouts in 102 innings.
Each team has a 34-man roster, which includes 21 position players and 13 pitchers. Needless to say, the Mets will be shopping for a starting pitcher before the trade deadline. On three occasions he’s finished the campaign with nine wins but now seems nearly a lock to better that.
Sale is 14-3 in 18 games started this season, striking out 123 batters in 125 innings pitched thus far.
The AL plans to pitch Corey Kluber, Cole Hamels, Aaron Sanchez and Jose Quintana after Sale. It wasn’t akin to the NFL’s Pro Bowl or the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, one of which has proven irrelevant, the other representing exactly what it is, a weekend for the fans. Make sure to pack a pair of binoculars if sitting in either of those sections – they’ll grant a view of the action from the nosebleeds behind the right field foul pole.
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So next time you consider criticizing baseball’s decision to make this game matter, think about the alternative.
