Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks will be the starting pitchers for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), respectively, in the All-Star Game. This marks the first time since 2001 that both the Yankees and Diamondbacks have had All-Star starting pitchers in the same game.
Cole expressed his excitement about starting the All-Star Game, as it has been a dream of his since he was a kid. Despite concerns about his workload, Cole insisted on pitching in the game and AL manager Dusty Baker granted his wish. Cole has been named an All-Star six times and currently has a record of 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA and 123 strikeouts.
Gallen, a 27-year-old right-hander, is having a standout season for the Diamondbacks, with an 11-3 record and a 3.04 ERA. This will be his first All-Star appearance, and he joins Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling as the only Diamondbacks pitchers to start an All-Star Game.
The AL lineup, chosen by Baker, features Marcus Semien leading off, followed by Shohei Ohtani, Randy Arozarena, Corey Seager, Yandy Díaz, Adolis García, Austin Hays, Josh Jung, and Jonah Heim. The NL lineup, selected by NL manager Rob Thomson, includes Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Nolan Arenado, Luis Arraez, Sean Murphy, Corbin Carroll, and Orlando Arcia.
Unfortunately, two fan-elected starters, Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, will miss the game due to injuries.
The All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, broadcast nationally on FOX.