The Texas Rangers dominate this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star teams as four players from the franchise have made their way into the starting line-ups for this year’s showpiece event.
With the Rangers sitting pretty at the top of American League West, catcher Jonah Heim, second baseman Marcus Semien, third baseman Josh Jung, and shortstop Corey Seager are all in the AL team, with the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels contributing most of the rest of the squad.
The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers provide three each to the National League line-up, with Luis Arraez of the Miami Marlins, Nolan Arenado of the St Louis Cardinals and Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks providing the rest of the side’s numbers.
The match takes place on Tuesday, July 11th at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The two teams can be seen below:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Catcher: Jonah Heim (Texas Rangers)
First Base: Yandy Díaz (Tampa Bay Rays)
Second Base: Marcus Semien (Texas Rangers)
Third Base: Josh Jung (Texas Rangers)
Shortstop: Corey Seager (Texas Rangers)
Outfielder: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Outfielder: Randy Arozarena (Tampa Bay Rays)
Outfielder: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
Designate Hitter: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Catcher: Sean Murphy (Atlanta Braves)
First Base: Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Second Base: Luis Arraez (Miami Marlins)
Third Base: Nolan Arenado (St Louis Cardinals)
Shortstop: Orlando Arcia (Atlanta Braves)
Outfielder: Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves)
Outfielder: Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Outfielder: Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Designate Hitter: J.D. Martinez (Los Angeles Dodgers)
In total 13 pitchers have also been selected for the match, and the Angels’ superstar Shohei Ohtani has been included within that group alongside the likes of the Baltimore Orioles’ Félix Bautista, the New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole and Kenley Jansen of the Boston Red Sox.
What is the MLB All-Star Game?
The Major League Baseball season takes place between the spring and the autumn, with the World Series typically coming to a close in later October or early November. At the mid-point of the campaign (normally the second or third Tuesday in July) an exhibition match called the All-Star Game is played.
The season is put on hold to accommodate the match-up, which pits the best players from MLB’s two leagues – the American League and the National League – against one another.
This isn’t the first time many of this year’s rosters have participated in the match. Mike Trout, for example, is taking part for the eleventh time, while Clayton Kershaw has notched up his tenth selection and Nolan Arenado and Salvador Perez their eighth.
Altogether there are 26 first-timers and 25 players who were born outside of the United States. These include Shohei Ohtani (Japan), Yandy Díaz (Cuba) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (Venezuela).
The Texas Rangers are having a superb season this year and looking well set for a play-off berth at the end of the regular campaign. Meanwhile, Ohtani has been on fantastic form as well. While the Angels are struggling for consistency, his high-quality performances have been an ever-present and the team will be hoping they progress to the post-season to stand a chance of keeping him over the winter.
Sometimes called the Midsummer Classic, the MLB All-Star Game was first held in 1933, with breaks only in 1945 (due to the war) and 2020 (due to the pandemic). The American League side won last season, beating their National League counterparts 3-2 at Dodger Stadium.
In fact, it’s been something of a whitewash in recent years for the AL, whose team have won the last nine encounters. The National League team hasn’t come out on top since 2012, when they thrashed their opponents 8-0 at Kauffman Stadium.
Written and distributed by Chat T Sports.
