Pittsburgh Pirates' David Bednar Named National League All-Star as Replacement
With Clayton Kershaw currently injured and unable to play, Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar has been named to the National League All-Star team as a replacement.
It will be the second straight All-Star appearance for Bednar, who is one of the top relievers in the National League. He's having another great season this year for the Pirates, going 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA. He's got 16 saves and has appeared in 31 games, striking out 37 over 31.1 innings.
Lifetime, he's 8-7 with a 2.68 ERA. He's recorded 38 saves in his career.
He's a consistent presence in the back end of the bullpen for manager Derek Shelton and will join fellow Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller at the All-Star Game in Seattle. Shelton will also go and coach on the National League squad.
The 28-year-old was a 35th-round draft choice of the Padres back in 2016 out of Lafayette (PA).
Entering play on Tuesday, the Pirates are 39-45 and in fourth place in the National League Central. They are 7.0 games back of the first-place Reds.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 11 at T-Mobile Park.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS DURING ALL-STAR WEEK in Seattle, per MLB.com:
Friday, July 7: HBCU Swingman Classic (7:30 p.m. ET)
Saturday, July 8: All-Star Celebrity Softball Game and MLB Futures Game (Futures Game 4 p.m., softball game after)
Sunday, July 9: MLB Draft, Rounds 1-2 (7 p.m. ET)
Monday, July 10: Home Run Derby (8 p.m. ET)
Tuesday, July 11: All-Star Game (8 p.m. ET)
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