Since July 6th, 1933, except for the war-shortened season of 1945, Major League Baseball has held an All-Star Game in July. This year’s game will be held on Tuesday, July 13th, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. The Home Run Derby will be held the night before.
The Tampa Bay Rays will be strongly represented in the All-Star Game by four players. The most recent of them, closer Rafael Soriano, was added late to the American League roster. The Yankees famous closer, Mariano Rivera opted out of the game. He has a sore side and a bad knee, and therefore chose to give his body a rest. It would have been Rivera's eleventh All-Star Game.
The Rays acquired Soriano from the Atlanta Braves this past December. He has saved 23 of 24 chances, and boasts a 1.65 ERA. He has struck out 29 batters and issued 7 walks in 32 2/3 innings. He's got the talent and deserves to be in the All-Star Game.
In addition to Soriano, the Rays will send another pitcher, David Price, to the game. Price throws smoke and has been having a great season. In Wednesday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox, he threw high heat to gain another 10 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings, with just one walk. He now has 12 wins this season to lead the American League. Price has 100 strikeouts in 115 1/3 innings with a 2.42 ERA. Look for Price to start the All-Star Game for the American League.
The fans also selected Rays left fielder Carl Crawford for the 2010 MLB All-Star Game. Crawford is showing much better patience at the plate this season but continues to steal bases. The veteran Rays outfielder has a .318 batting average, eight home runs, 29 stolen bases, 20 doubles, and 6 triples through Wednesday night.
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1 - Dr. Jimmy
Carl Crawford plays left field, not right.