Fastball

New York Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole Tabbed as All-Star Game Starter Over Hometown Pitcher

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker has tabbed New York Yankees starter Gerrit Cole as his starting pitcher for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday.
Brady Farkas|
New York Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole Tabbed as All-Star Game Starter Over Hometown Pitcher
New York Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole Tabbed as All-Star Game Starter Over Hometown Pitcher

In this story:

New York YankeesSeattle Mariners

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.

For lineup information and how to watch, you can click here:

Follow Fastball on FanNation in social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Published
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/News