Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is an All-Star for the sixth time, but Tuesday’s game will be a first for the 32-year-old, as he has been named the starting pitcher for the American League.
“He’s one of the best there is,” AL manager Dusty Baker said when he made the official announcement.
“Hey man, if a guy like Gerrit Cole wants to pitch, I’ll let him pitch.”
Cole becomes the first Yankee pitcher since Roger Clemens in 2001 to start an All-Star Game.
The veteran right-hander is having a dominant season in the Bronx, pitching to a 2.85 ERA with a 1.120 WHIP and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings. His best outing came on April 16, when he pitched a complete game two-hitter against the Minnesota Twins, striking out 12 hitters in the process.
While Cole has been named to five other All-Star Games, this will be just the second time that he’ll actually pitch in the game. The only other time was back in 2015, when Cole, then a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, threw one scoreless inning for the NL, recording one strikeout and one walk.
“It’s just always something that I’ve wanted to do,” Cole said on making the start. “I feel like I’m physically able to do it and I got an opportunity. Thankful that Dusty selected me. Some of my fondest memories growing up, one of them is watching Pedro [Martinez] in the All-Star Game, starting it.
“I’ve been to a few of them and had the pleasure of watching some future Hall of Famers do it, and I’ve always been like ‘Man, I really hope I can do that one day.'”
After his last start before the break, Cole said he would be honored with the chance to get the start in the Midsummer Classic.
“That’s like a dream come true,” he said Saturday. “Every time I’ve made it earlier in my career, there’s been Hall of Famers starting that game.
“It would be a huge honor to represent the organization and all the hard work that everybody behind the scenes here has put in.”