Shaikin: Would Dave Roberts snub Yoshinobu Yamamoto to start Shohei Ohtani in the All-Star Game?
· Yahoo Sports
On the 13th of July, Dave Roberts will reveal his selection for the National League‘s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game.
On the 13th of June, Yoshinobu Yamamoto reminded his manager that he is the Dodgers’ best pitcher.
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Is that enough for Yamamoto to start the All-Star Game? Probably not.
Is that enough to force Roberts into the uncomfortable position of picking one of his aces over another, like a father picking one of his sons over another? Maybe.
On Saturday, Yamamoto took a no-hitter into the ninth inning. He did it last September too, and in between he painted an October — and a first day of November — for the ages.
Read more:Yoshinobu Yamamoto flirts with perfect game, MLB record in Dodgers' victory
We have heard so much about Shohei Ohtani, and why not? Ohtani decided he would win the Cy Young Award this season, and why not?
His earned-run average did not rise above 1.00 until June 10. He also leads the NL in on-base-plus-slugging percentage, well on his way to his annual most valuable player award.
The Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award sounds nice. Not just yet, but someday, how about the Shohei Ohtani Most Valuable Player Award?
But back to the issue at hand: Which NL pitcher should start the All-Star Game?
Ohtani could, of course. He has, in 2021. In a game that is all about the fans, he is the player fans most want to see.
And, if he does not start at pitcher, he could not start at designated hitter, come in later to pitch one inning and remain in the game at DH. (At least, not under the current rules, which major league officials could waive for the All-Star Game.)
For Roberts and the Dodgers, that would be the ideal: Let Ohtani pitch the first inning so he can follow his normal pregame routine, since he has a routine for both pitching and hitting. Or, since Ohtani is trying to complete his first full season as a pitcher since 2022 and win the Cy Young, he and the Dodgers could agree that he would skip pitching in the All-Star Game.
Read more:Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani returns with a bang after day off
But Roberts figures to have two other very worthy options. In the category of “player everyone wants to see,” he could select Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, not so much for his league-leading 1.34 ERA — Ohtani, at 1.06, doesn’t have enough innings to qualify — but for the 104-mph fastballs he was throwing in the ninth inning of his one-hit, 15-strikeout shutout Friday.
Without worrying about pitching deep into the game, with the opportunity to throw one inning and rear back and fire, can you imagine how hard Misiorowski might throw in the All-Star Game?
Roberts also could select the ace of the home team, Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies, who threw 50⅔ consecutive scoreless innings this season. No one had thrown 50 since 1988, when Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser set the record with 59.
Sanchez has a 1.54 ERA, and he and Misiorowski lead all pitchers in wins above replacement (WAR).
The hometown favorite would be the safe pick for Roberts, although Dodgers fans have long memories: They remember the New York Mets’ Matt Harvey starting over Clayton Kershaw at Citi Field in 2013, a decision that looked regrettable at the time and looks downright shameful in hindsight.
That brings us back to Yamamoto, whose combination of consistency and excellence makes him the natural choice to start a big game — opening day, for instance, or an elimination game in the World Series.
In his 13 starts this season, he has given up three or fewer earned runs all but once and pitched at least six innings all but twice.
In the regular season last year, he pitched eight innings once. This season, he has pitched at least eight innings in his last two starts.
In his last five starts, he has a 1.01 ERA, with five walks and 32 strikeouts. Keep that up for another month, and good luck telling him someone else is starting the All-Star Game.
Look at it this way: Who would you want if you had to pick someone to win you Game 7? You can’t go wrong with the guy who already did.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.