Clayton Kershaw is getting rewarded by Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. Days after the superb Dodgers left-hander recorded the 3,000th strikeout of his career, Kershaw was named as a Commissioner's Selection to the National League All-Star team.
The All-Star Game will be played July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta. Kershaw has made nine starts for the Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts this season. Kershaw started the season on the Injured List. He has a 4-0 record and a 3.43 earned run average.
Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera were named as previous Commissioner's Selections by Manfred. Kershaw could be considered a sentimental choice to start the game for the National League. He has made one other All-Star Game start when he took the mound in the 2022 game at Dodger Stadium.
Roberts will serve as the National League manager since the Dodgers won the NL pennant last year and beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. If he doesn't name Kershaw as the starter, strong consideration will go to Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates or Zach Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies. Skenes started last year's All-Star Game for the NL and he leads the league in ERA, while Wheeler has a 9-3 record.
Kershaw is one of five Dodgers on the NL roster
Kershaw will be joined by four of his Dodgers teammates. Shohei Ohtani will serve as the Designated Hitter for the National League, while Will Smith will catch and Freddie Freeman will play first base for the Senior Circuit. Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was also named to the team.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts had been named to eight consecutive All-Star rosters, but he was snubbed this year.
The Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners each have four representatives to lead the American League. Tarik Skubal of the Tigers won the Cy Young Award last year and is in an excellent position to win it once again. He is one of the favorites to start for the Junior Circuit. He will be joined by teammates Riley Greene. Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez.
Slugging catcher Cal Raleigh has belted 35 home runs and he leads the Seattle foursome into the All-Star Game. He will be joined by pitchers Bryan Woo and Andres Munoz along with outfielder Julio Rodriguez.
The hometown Braves had three players named to the game. Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and first baseman Matt Olson should see action. Pitcher Chris Sale was also named to the NL team, but he has a fractured rib and won't be able to pitch. He was named as an All-Star for the ninth time in his career.
