With Cody Bellinger having already been voted in to start in the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, it now was announced he would be joined on the National League s roster by fellow Los Angeles Dodgers Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw.
While Kershaw made his eighth All-Star team in the past nine seasons, it marks the first trip to the Midsummer Classic for Buehler and Ryu. Ryu has been the best of the three starting pitchers this season– and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts all but confirmed he will start for his NL team.
Meanwhile, Buehler rode a dominant stretch in June to erase a rough first month and become an All-Star.After the results of the players and coaches ballot to elect the reserves and pitchers for both All-Star rosters were announced, much of the attention understandably went to Ryu.
The accomplishment is noteworthy for a young pitcher such as Buehler, and he is thrilled with making his first All-Star team, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“It’s something you hope might one day happen but never truly think it will until it does. Obviously and exciting day for me and my family. … I think the biggest thing for me is kind of getting off to a bad start and simplifying the game. The kind of run the past couple of months I’ve had, with the exception of [Coors Field], has been limiting walks and striking guys out. It’s been a good run, and obviously I’m very honored.”
Buehler has also become known as a brash, confident, fiery competitor, but endeared himself to teammates like Kershaw due to his ability to endure some teasing at the hands of the clubhouse veterans. He is glad to be spending his first All-Star game with two of his rotation mates:
“Obviously Ryu has been unbelievable, and I don’t think you can ever say Kersh didn’t deserve it. It should be a good time with all four of us going.”
Buehler made only one Spring Training appearance due to injury, and that clearly affected him in April as he ended the month with a 5.22 ERA. After a slightly better May, everything clicked for Buehler in June, as he allowed just three runs over 31 innings in four starts.
He capped off that stretch with an incredible 16-strikeout complete game against the Colorado Rockies. Though Buehler finished his June with a rough seven-run outing against the Rockies in hitter-friendly Coors Field, the run was enough to get noticed.
While Bellinger has become one of baseball’s best hitters, the dominance of Ryu, emergence of Buehler and steadiness of Kershaw has anchored one of the sport’s best pitching rotations. Now, all four of them get the well-deserved honor of representing the Dodgers as 2019 All-Stars.
