Three Ex-Red Sox Players Named To 2024 MLB All-Star Game
The Boston Red Sox will have three representatives in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game at Globe Life Field in Texas, but even a few former roster members earned a nod, too.
Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers, outfielder Jarren Duran and starting pitcher Tanner Houck, who were selected for the American League’s final roster on Sunday, will share the field with a trio of old friends — two of which were members of the 2018 World Series championship team.
Here are the three former Red Sox players also named to the 94th annual All-Star Game:
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
Betts, 31, inherited a major responsibility when named the starting shortstop of the Dodgers in the offseason, but the two-time World Series champion has performed.
Although Betts currently remains in recovery after suffering a fractured left hand in June, the 11-year veteran still logged a productive 72-game first half with Los Angeles. Betts batted .304 with 10 home runs, 16 doubles and 40 RBIs before landing on the injured list, earning himself an eighth consecutive All-Star appearance — aside from 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic kept MLB from hosting an All-Star Game.
“I give myself a pat on the back, I usually don’t,” Betts said during Sunday’s Dodgers-Brewers broadcast, per MLB video. “But to make the (positional) change and be a part of the Midsummer Classic. That’s pretty cool.”
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Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
Sale, 35, searched for a fresh start when traded from the Red Sox to the Braves this past offseason, and that’s exactly what Atlanta’s provided the left-hander.
The now-eight-time All-Star has gone 11-3 with a 2.71 ERA and 127 strikeouts debuting with the Braves, giving Sale the same amount of wins he totaled through his final three seasons with the Red Sox. The red-hot first-half start makes Sale an early contender for MLB’s 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award.
“It’s definitely satisfying,” Sale said, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I appreciate it for sure. You go through some years like I had and you start thinking this could be a possibility again and to be in this position again.”
Matt Strahm, Philadelphia Phillies
Strahm, 32, joined a franchise-record seven Phillies named to the All-Star Game, joining Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, Jeff Hoffman, Ranger Suárez, Trea Turner Zack Wheeler.
Last season, Philadelphia utilized Strahm in a hybrid role, using the left-hander both in a starter’s role and out of the bullpen. But this season, Strahm’s pitched exclusively as a reliever, going 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA in 35 appearances.
“I wasn’t expecting much,” Strahm told reporters Sunday, per NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The National League and American League will take the field next Tuesday for the All-Star Game at 8 p.m. ET.