Clayton Kershaw praised by All-Star players prior to the game
The Los Angeles Dodgers ace will start for the National League and Tampa Bay’s Shan McClanahan will be on the mound for the American League.
For the first time since 1980, the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the 2022 MLB All-Star Game on Wednesday night and their ace, Clayton Kershaw, will be on the mound for the National League. Kershaw will become the third Dodgers pitcher to start in the last seven All-Star Games, following Zack Greinke (2015) and Hyun Jin Ryu (2019).
Kershaw happy with the opportunity
“Thanks for letting me start this thing. It is hard because obviously Sandy Alcantara, Tony Gonsolin and other guys have better numbers than I do. I get that but having said that I am so excited I get to do it here at Dodger stadium and I really didn’t think any of it at the time, thinking it would be fun to do it. Now that it is finally here and I get to start that game, it means a lot,” said Kershaw.
The Dodgers ace will become the thirteenth pitcher to start in the All-Star Game in his home ballpark and the first since Max Scherzer did it in 2018. Kershaw has been one of the most dominant pitchers in Major League Baseball in the past decade and helped the Dodgers win the World Series Trophy for the first time since 1988.
Players praised the legacy of Clayton Kershaw
“It is awesome,” said Tony Gonsolin when asked about sharing locker rooms with Kershaw. “I think I am very fortunate to have the All-Star Game being at Dodger stadium this year and to be part of the team. Having Kershaw as my teammate my whole career, to be able to watch him and learn from him I think it is awesome.”
“It is nice to return to the Dodgers locker room because I share many special moments with a lot of the players. Now I am on the same team as him [Kershaw] in an All-Star Game is very special and I am proud of that,” said the Padre’s ace Manny Machado.
On the other hand, it was confirmed that Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan will start for the American League and the Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani will be the designated hitter for the AL. Last year Ohtani was the starting pitcher and helped the American League defeat the NL 5-2 in Denver.