It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
The Red Sox don’t have any All-Star starters, but three players will represent the club at next week’s midsummer classic in Atlanta: third baseman Alex Bregman and left-handers Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Crochet.
It’s the second All-Star selection in a row for Crochet, who earned his first career nod last season with the Chicago White Sox. Despite leading MLB in strikeouts, he finished second to Detroit’s Tarik Skubal in player balloting for AL starting pitchers.
Bregman is an All-Star for the third time in his 10-year career, but the first time since back-to-back selections in ’18 and ’19. He’s been on the injured list with a quad strain since May 24, but could be activated this week.
Chapman led AL relievers on the player ballot to earn his eighth All-Star selection in 16 big-league seasons. He was an All-Star four years in a row with the Cincinnati Reds from 2012-15, and thrice with the Yankees between 2018-21.
All three players are in their first season with the Red Sox. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow completed a blockbuster trade for Crochet during the MLB Winter Meetings last December, and signed Chapman and Bregman as free agents.
This is Boston’s second consecutive season with three All-Star selections (every team is guaranteed one All-Star). Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, and Tanner Houck represented the Red Sox last year – though Devers opted not to participate so as to rest his shoulders – with Duran winning All-Star MVP honors.
Devers was a shoo-in for this year’s Team American League before the Red Sox traded him to the San Francisco Giants on Father’s Day. He was not named to Team National League on Sunday.
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