Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez will make his first appearance in the All-Star Game, replacing Atlanta’s Chris Sale, who is scheduled to start for the Braves on Sunday and will not pitch in the Midsummer Classic.
Sánchez’s addition on Saturday increases the Phillies’ total to eight All-Stars, the most in MLB history for the franchise.
The game will take place Tuesday night at the Texas Rangers’ home field. Philadelphia enters the break as the only team in MLB with at least 60 wins.
Sánchez is the third pitcher from Philadelphia’s rotation to earn an All-Star selection, though he might be the only one to participate.
Right-hander Zack Wheeler was already ruled out due to back spasms, and now Ranger Suárez joins him with the same issue. Suárez was replaced on Saturday by Atlanta’s Max Fried, making his second All-Star appearance.
Sánchez is the 38th player to earn his first All-Star nod, while Fried is the 10th replacement, six of whom are from the National League. These additions bring the total number of All-Stars to 74.
Phillies’ president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stated that Suárez’s exclusion from the All-Star Game was a precautionary measure. The 28-year-old left-hander experienced lower back tightness and spasms after a 6-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
“Obviously, you dream of being in the All-Star Game, but I think health is above everything else,” Suárez said through an interpreter after Philadelphia’s 11-5 win over Oakland on Saturday. “I think it’s best for me to rest.”
Suárez, with a 10-4 record, had a 1.83 ERA through 16 starts, but it has risen to 8.62 over his last three outings, resulting in three losses in his past four starts.
“He’s pitched a lot of innings, and we want to make sure he stays fresh,” Dombrowski said. “It will be a nice break for him.”
