Pittsburgh's Braxton Ashcraft Named To National League All-Star Team

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft has been named to the National League All-Star team for this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which will take place on Tuesday, July 14 at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. He joins right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes as the Pirates’ representatives.

The 26-year-old Ashcraft, a first-time All-Star, is 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA (108.1ip/39er) and 122 strikeouts in 18 starts. His 122 strikeouts entering today were the fourth-most in the National League, trailing Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (156) and Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez (137) and Jesús Luzardo (125).

Ashcraft’s 122 strikeouts entering today were tied with Bob Veale (1970) for the sixth-most by a Pirate in a season prior to the All-Star break (the first All-Star Game was held in 1933), behind Veale (137, 1965), Veale (134, 1966), Skenes (131, 2025), Mitch Keller (129, 2023) and Francisco Liriano (125, 2015).

The native of Robinson, TX, has become the only Pirates pitcher during the Modern Era (since 1901) to have multiple starts with at least 10 strikeouts and zero walks issued in a single season (he did that with an 11 strikeout effort on May 31 vs. Minnesota and a 10-strikeout performance on June 24 vs. Seattle).

Ashcraft and Skenes (119) have become just the second pair of Pirates teammates to both have at least 115 strikeouts prior to the All-Star break in a season, joining Liriano and Gerrit Cole (116) in 2015. They are also the third pair of Pittsburgh starting pitchers to be named to the National League All-Star team in the same season, joining Bob Friend and Vernon Law in 1960, as well as A.J. Burnett and Cole in 2015.