SAN DIEGO — For the second time in five All-Star Games, there will be an all-Giants battery starting the Midsummer Classic. National League manager Terry Collins named Johnny Cueto his starting pitcher for Tuesday’s All-Star Game. The right-hander’s only other All-Star season was 2014, and he recently expressed disappointment that he never pitched. That won’t be the case this time.
“I wasn’t holding hope that I was going to start the game,” Cueto said through translator Erwin Higueros. “I was just going to be happy participating in the game. I’m very happy, and just happy to be here, and to be able to start the game.”
The honor validates a remarkable first half for the first-year Giant. Cueto leads the National League in innings, and his 2.47 ERA is worse than only Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw. He signed a six-year, $130 million contract with the Giants this offseason, and has delivered in the most pure fashion. The team is 16-2 in his starts this season, and his last 10 decisions have all been wins.
“I think (Cueto’s) numbers speak for themselves,” Collins said. “Last week when we were sitting and talking about who we might start in the All-Star Game, we had five very, very qualified guys. As it came closer and closer, (Cueto) just continued to dominate the league, so I thought he was the right choice.”
In the week leading up to the announcement, Bruce Bochy wasn’t shy about his feeling that Cueto should start. The Giants manager referred to Cueto as the “frontrunner,” and the right-hander only strengthened his case with a complete game against the Rockies on Friday. The achievement doesn’t come without a scoop of good fortune. Clayton Kershaw and Noah Syndergaard were out of the running to start because of injuries. Madison Bumgarner was disqualified because he started on Sunday, and Jake Arrieta’s allowed 15 runs in his last 16 1/3 innings. That left Cueto standing.
“We had a tremendous group of starting pitchers in the National League this year,” Collins said. “…Everybody certainly deserves an opportunity, but I thought (Cueto’s) pitched the best in this first half of the season. He deserves this opportunity for what he did and what he did to us in the World Series last year.”
The Mets manager is referring to Cueto’s complete game in Game 2 of last year’s World Series, coming against Collins’ Mets while Cueto was on the Royals. There will also be another level of familiarity for Cueto. He’ll be throwing to NL starting catcher Buster Posey, who also caught Matt Cain when he started the 2012 All-Star Game.
“It’d be the best,” Cueto said last Tuesday, when asked about throwing to Posey in the All-Star Game. “He’s my favorite catcher … I don’t need to teach my new tricks to some other catcher.”
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Posey is batting fifth in the National League lineup, and here’s how the rest of the order lines up:
2B – Ben Zobrist
RF – Bryce Harper
3B – Kris Bryant
DH – Wil Myers
C – Buster Posey
1B – Anthony Rizzo
CF – Marcell Ozuna
LF – Carlos Gonzalez
SS – Addison Russell
RHP – Johnny Cueto
