Deep in the heart of Texas, the MLB All-Stars are big and bright.
Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso are among the perennial participants set to compete in Tuesday’s 2024 MLB All-Star Game, while fresher faces such as Paul Skenes and Gunnar Henderson are primed for their debuts in the Midsummer Classic.
The 94th edition of the star-studded exhibition is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. EDT at Globe Life Field, home of the Rangers, in Arlington, Texas, with the game airing on Fox.
Here’s everything you need to know beforehand:
YANKEES AND METS
The Yankees received three All-Star selections, with closer Clay Holmes joining Judge and Soto in the Lone Star State.
In something of a surprise, the surging Mets have only one All-Star in Alonso.
Judge, 32, is set to start in center field and bat cleanup for the American League after leading all players with 3,425,309 votes through Phase 1 of the balloting.
It’s the sixth All-Star selection — and fourth in a row — for Judge, whose 34 home runs, 85 RBI, .433 on-base percentage, .679 slugging percentage and 1.112 OPS all lead the majors.
Soto will bat third and start in right field after hitting .295 with 23 home runs, 66 RBI, an MLB-best 79 walks and a .984 OPS thus far in his first season with the Yankees. It’s the 25-year-old Soto’s fourth All-Star selection.
Holmes made his second All-Star team after pitching to a 2.77 ERA with 21 saves before the break. Holmes got off to a torrid start, posting a 0.00 ERA through his first 20 appearances.
This week marks Alonso’s fourth All-Star Game — and fifth time doing the Home Run Derby — after leading the Mets with 19 home runs. The first baseman is a reserve behind Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper.
The Mets very easily could have had two more All-Stars in Brandon Nimmo, who ranks sixth in the National League with 63 RBI, and Francisco Lindor, whose 17 home runs are tied for the lead among NL shortstops.
SKENES MANIA
NL manager Torey Lovullo took the unusual step of announcing Skenes as his team’s starting pitcher a few days before the game.
Of course, there’s nothing usual about Skenes.
The firing-balling Pirates rookie is already living up to his sky-high hype, pitching to a 6-0 record, a 1.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 66.1 innings through his first 11 MLB starts. His fastball averages 99.1 mph.
He’s set to become the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game, and the first since the Dodgers’ Hideo Nomo in 1995.
Skenes was in the middle of an interview on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Friday when Lovullo called in to inform him he’s starting.
His first inning will be must-see TV and could very well be the first time Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, faces Soto or Judge.
BURNES, BABY, BURNES
AL manager Bruce Bochy is turning to Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, meanwhile, to start for the Junior Circuit.
Acquired in an offseason trade with the Brewers, the 29-year-old Burnes owns a 9-4 record, a 2.43 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 118.2 innings for first-place Baltimore.
He got the nod over electric Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal, who is 10-3 with a 2.41 ERA and 140 strikeouts over 116 innings. Skubal is a first-time All-Star.
OTHER STANDOUTS
Like Skenes and Skubal, the second-year Baltimore shortstop Henderson is a first-time All-Star after batting .286 with 28 home runs and 63 RBI before the break.
The 23-year-old Henderson, who won AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2023, is set to bat second, ahead of Soto and Judge.
Tuesday also marks Shohei Ohtani’s first All-Star appearance with the Dodgers, whom he joined in December on a record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract featuring heavily deferred money.
Ohtani, who will DH and bat second, leads the NL with 29 home runs, 75 runs and a 1.035 OPS, while his .316 average ranks second in the league and his 69 RBI rank third.
The MLB-best Phillies lead all teams with eight All-Stars, including third baseman Alec Bohm and shortstop Trae Turner, who join Harper in the NL starting lineup.
Marcus Semien will represent the hometown Rangers as the AL’s starting second baseman, filling a vacancy left by Houston’s Jose Altuve, who opted to rest his ailing left hand.
LINEUPS
American League:
LF: Steven Kwan, Guardians
SS: Henderson
RF: Soto
CF: Judge
DH: Yordan Alvarez, Astros
3B: Jose Ramirez, Guardians
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Blue Jays
C: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
2B: Semien
National League:
2B: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
DH: Ohtani
SS: Turner
1B: Harper
C: William Contreras, Brewers
RF: Christian Yelich, Brewers
3B: Bohm
CF: Teoscar Hernandez, Dodgers
LF: Jurickson Profar, Padres
