Trout and Ohtani are MLB All-Star Starers

ANAHEIMMike Trout (OF) and Shohei Ohtani (DH) have been selected via fan voting to start for the American League in the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, to be played Tuesday, July 19 at Dodger Stadium. Trout extends his Angels records with 10 overall All-Star selections and nine selections via fan voting.

Ohtani earns his second consecutive All-Star starting nod at designated hitter and is the first player to win consecutive All-Star starts at DH via fan voting since Nelson Cruz in 2014-15.

Mike Trout
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout gets a hug from team owner Arte Moreno at a press conference on Sunday, March 24, 2019. Trout reportedly signed a 12-year, $430 million with the Angels. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman/News4usonline

Trout is the first Major League player to be voted in by the fans as a starter in nine straight All-Star Games since Alex Rodriguez (2000-08). He also becomes the eighth player in A.L. history to earn nine fan elections with one organization, joining Cal Ripken Jr. (BAL, 17), George Brett (KC, 11), Ken Griffey Jr. (SEA, 10), Rod Carew (MIN, 9), Derek Jeter (NYY, 9), Ichiro Suzuki (SEA, 9) and Iván Rodríguez (TEX, 9).

Entering play today, Trout ranks in the Top Five in the American League this season in home runs (3rd; 23), slugging (3rd; .601), OPS (4th; .968), runs (4th; 53), extra-base hits (42) and total bases (161). He scored his 1,000th career run on May 21 and joined Garret Anderson (1,024) as the only players in Angels history to do so.

Additionally, he became the first player in MLB history to hit game-winning home runs in four different games of a series during the Angels trip in Seattle from June 16-19.

This season, Ohtani is the only player in the Majors with both 18+ home runs and 10+ stolen bases. Additionally, he ranks in the Top 10 in the A.L. with 34 extra-base hits (6th), 53 RBI (8th) and 149 total bases (8th). On June 21 vs. Kansas City, he set a single-game career high with eight RBI which are the most in an MLB game for any Japanese-born player. Additionally, he has made 14 pitching starts, going 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA (81 IP – 22 ER) and 111 strikeouts. In his last five pitching starts, Ohtani is 5-0 with a 0.27 ERA (33.2 IP – 1 ER) and 46 strikeouts.

Angels RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani was named the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player. Credit: Los Angeles Angels
Angels RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani was named the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player. Credit: Los Angeles Angels

In his seven previous All-Star Game appearances, Trout has amassed a .412 average (7/17) with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, four RBI, three walks and four runs scored. He became the first player to win the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award in consecutive seasons after winning the honors in 2014 and 2015.

His seven All-Star Game hits are the most in Angels history. Additionally, his 17 All-Star Game total bases before turning 28 years old, are tied with Al Kaline and Ted Williams for the most in A.L. history; in the N.L., only Johnny Bench (18) had more by that age. Trout did not play in the 2017 and 2021 All-Star Games due to injury.

Ohtani, the reigning A.L. MVP, made his MLB All-Star Game debut last season and was both the starting pitcher and starting designated hitter for the American League. He was the first player ever to start at pitcher, start in the leadoff spot and earn the win all in the same game (regular season, All-Star or postseason). He also became the only player ever selected to an All-Star team as both a pitcher and a position player.

This season, Ohtani has made 14 pitching starts, going 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA (81 IP – 22 ER) and 111 strikeouts. Entering the day, he ranks fifth in the American League in strikeouts, is second in the league with a 12.33 SO/9 rate (min. 75 IP) and is third with a 33.9% swing-and-miss rate. In his last five pitching starts, Ohtani is 5-0 with a 0.27 ERA (33.2 IP – 1 ER) and 46 strikeouts. He is one of four A.L. pitchers in the Divisional Era to have a five-game span going 5-0 with 46+ strikeouts and one-or-fewer earned runs allowed, joining Randy Johnson (1997), Johan Santana (2004), and Chris Sale (2018).

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