Today, it was announced that Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer will start for the National League in tomorrow’s All-Star Game
The Washington Nationals are well represented in this year’s All-Star Game as they have five players on the National League roster. This afternoon, NL manager Joe Maddon officially announced that Max Scherzer is going to be the starter this year in Miami and will be facing Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox).
Max Scherzer vs. Chris Sale to start the All-Star Game. For my money, it's the most intriguing SP matchup since Clemens vs. Johnson in 2001.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 10, 2017
Scherzer becomes just the fifth person to start the All-Star Game for both the American and National Leagues.
— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) July 10, 2017
With Clayton Kershaw ineligible to pitch due to getting his 14th win yesterday, Scherzer was the obvious choice to start this game for the NL. He has ten or more strikeouts in eight of his last nine games and he leads the NL in K’s (173), WHIP (0.78), and ERA (2.10).
Tomorrow will be Scherzer’s third appearance in an All-Star Game and his second start. Back at Citi Field in 2013, Scherzer started for the American League against Matt Harvey and went one perfect inning (struck out Joey Votto). Last year, he had a 1-2-3 sixth inning at PETCO Park.
For Scherzer, this is an opportunity for him to add another historic moment to his Washington Nationals legacy. He already has two no-hitters in a curly W uniform, but with his game, you never know what will happen when he takes the mound.
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Could he do what Pedro Martinez did in 1999 (five strikes in two innings) or what Jacob deGrom did in relief in 2015 (three strikeouts on ten pitches)? We will find out.
Just a few minutes ago, Scherzer gave his thoughts on the honor of being the starter to the media:
Scherzer: "This is stuff you never forget."
— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) July 10, 2017
In the first inning, the American League will send Jose Altuve, Jose Ramirez, and Aaron Judge to the plate against Scherzer. The matchup with Judge will be fun to watch since one of the favorites of the NL Cy Young will face one of the favorites for AL MVP.
As for the rest of the Washington Nationals, three of them will be in the starting lineup. Bryce Harper (right field) will hit third behind Giancarlo Stanton, Ryan Zimmerman (first base) will hit seventh behind Nolan Arenado, and Daniel Murphy (second base) will hit fifth behind Buster Posey.
Zimmerman will be making his first start in the Midsummer Classic. Back in 2009, he went 0-for-2 in a bench role. Murphy went 2-for-3 off the bench last year. As for Harper, he has not had a good track record in his four All-Star appearances (1-for-8, three strikeouts), but he did have a double last year.
The question will be does Stephen Strasburg pitch in this game? If he does, it will be his first appearance in an All-Star Game since 2012. However, after a rough outing on Saturday against the Braves, will that lessen the chances of him appearing in this game?
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All in all, the Washington Nationals players in this year’s All-Star Game have a good chance to make an impact tomorrow night. Which Nats player do you think will have the best game? Let us know in the comments section.