Chris Sale to Start All-Star Game for Third Straight Year

Chris Sale will start the 89th MLB All-Star Game in D.C. on Tuesday, marking his second straight start for the American League as a member of the Boston Red Sox. He became the first pitcher in franchise history to start the Midsummer Classic multiple times.

Sale is also just the third pitcher in major league history to start the All-Star Game for three straight seasons; he also started the 2016 game as a member of the Chicago White Sox. He will oppose the Washington Nationals' Max Scherzer, who starts for the National League.

The lefty enters the All-Star break with the AL lead in ERA at 2.23, and also leads with a whopping 188 strikeouts in 123 innings. Sale and the Red Sox began the season with an increased focus on conserving his workload; through the same amount of Red Sox games in 2017, Sale was at 141.1 innings.

On offense, the Red Sox will also be well-represented in the AL lineup with their own pair of MVP candidates. Mookie Betts will lead off and play right field, with J.D. Martinez batting cleanup as the designated hitter. Craig Kimbrel and Mitch Moreland were also selected as reserves for the AL.

Here are the full lineups for Tuesday night:

RF Mookie Betts, Red Sox
2B Jose Altuve, Astros
CF Mike Trout, Angels
DH J.D. Martinez, Red Sox
3B Jose Ramirez, Indians
LF Aaron Judge, Yankees
SS Manny Machado, Orioles
1B Jose Abreu, White Sox
C Salvador Perez, Royals
-- SP Chris Sale, Red Sox

2B Javier Baez, Cubs
3B Nolan Arenado, Rockies
DH Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
1B Freddie Freeman, Braves
LF Matt Kemp, Dodgers
CF Bryce Harper, Nationals
RF Nick Markakis, Braves
SS Brandon Crawford, Giants
C Willson Contreras, Cubs
-- SP Max Scherzer, Nationals

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