New York Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole Tabbed as All-Star Game Starter Over Hometown Pitcher
Dusty Baker, manager of the American League All-Star team, has tabbed New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole as his starting pitcher for Tuesday's Midsummer Classic.
Shane McClanahan and Shohei Ohtani both would have been candidates to start the game, but McClanahan is on the injured list with a back injury and Ohtani is dealing with a cracked fingernail which is preventing him from pitching.
Enter Cole, who is having another dominant season for the Pinstripes. He's 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA in the first half of the season. He's making his sixth All-Star Game appearance, representing three different teams (Pirates, Astros, Yankees).
Lifetime, Cole is a 139-73 pitcher with a 3.21 ERA. In addition to the six All-Star appearances, he's won an ERA title as well.
Cole's selection as All-Star Game starter ruffled the feathers of some Seattle Mariners fans, who are disappointed to not see hometown ace Luis Castillo get the nod. Castillo is 6-6 this season with a 2.85 ERA.
While it's understandable as to why some Mariners fans are upset, it's hard to argue with Cole, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year.
Opposing Cole will be Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen. He's had a great year for the first-place Diamondbacks as well, going 11-3 with a 3.04 ERA in the first half of the season.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. at T-Mobile Park.
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