Ohtani a 2-way All-Star again; 6 Yankees, 5 Braves, Astros

Shohei Ohtani of the Angels and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers will square off on July 19 at Dodger Stadium in front of a star-studded crowd.

The All-Star Game hasn’t been in a few years, and Dodger Stadium has a special place in my heart, so I’m really looking forward to going,” Kershaw said after the pitchers and reserves were named on Sunday. That’s not something I take for granted.” Just to be clear: “I hope I didn’t take anyone else’s seat that was more deserved than mine, but now that it’s real and I get to do it, I’m pleased about it.”

Two days after he was voted by the fans to start at designated hitter, Ohtani was selected as a Major League Baseball selection for the American League pitching staff a year after he became the first two-way All-Star.

The Dodgers’ 6-2 starter Mookie Betts and shortstop Trea Turner were both selected, as was pitcher Tony Gonsolin, who had a 2.40 ERA. For the eighth time in a row, the National League has been defeated in the All-Star Game, and Kershaw is expected to start for the team.

To paraphrase the 34 year old, three-time Cy Young Award winner lefty: “I’ll try to take it all in as best I can”. I’ve learned to enjoy the small things more over the years, so every time I get to pitch at Dodger Stadium, every time we win, every time something major occurs, I try to take it all in a little bit more now,” says Kershaw.