Keuchel Named American League All-Star Team Starting Pitcher

HOUSTON, TX - Major League Baseball and American League All-Star manager Ned Yost announced this afternoon that Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel will start for the AL All-Star Team tomorrow night in the 86th Annual MLB All-Star Game. Keuchel will become the fourth pitcher in franchise history to start an All-Star Game, joining Roger Clemens (2004), Mike Scott (1987) and J.R. Richard (1980).

Keuchel, 27, a first-time All-Star, finished his first half of play with an 11-4 record and a 2.23 ERA (34ER/137.1IP) with three complete games in 19 starts. He leads all Major League pitchers in innings pitched, while ranking tied for first in the AL in wins, second in ERA, tied for second in complete games and fourth in opponent batting average (.208). According to Baseball-Reference, Keuchel leads all American League pitchers in WAR (4.7) and ranks second in the Majors in that category, trailing only National League right-hander Zack Greinke (5.5).

Keuchel joins fellow starter second baseman Jose Altuve and manager A.J. Hinch on the 2015 AL All-Star Team. Altuve was named the AL's starting second baseman last week, while Hinch was named to the AL's coaching staff last month.

Prior to this season, the last time the Astros had multiple starters in the All-Star Game was in 2004, when center fielder Lance Berkman, second baseman Jeff Kent and Clemens all started for the National League squad.

Keuchel is also the first Astros pitcher to make the All-Star Team since Roy Oswalt did so in 2007. He's the first Astros lefty to make it since Billy Wagner in 2003 and the first Astros left-handed starter to make it since Mike Hampton in 1999. 

For Altuve, this marks the first time that he has been elected to start an All-Star Game and his third All-Star selection overall (also in 2012, 2014). Altuve is just the seventh player (10th overall) in Astros history to earn a fan-elected start, and the first to do so since Berkman (first base) in 2008.

Prior to this season, the last time the Astros had two All-Stars in a season was in 2009 when Hunter Pence and Miguel Tejada were both NL All-Stars. The last time the Astros had a pitcher and position player on the same All-Star team was when Carlos Lee joined Oswalt on the NL squad in 2007.

Joining Keuchel and Altuve in Cincinnati next week will be Hinch, who was named to the AL's coaching staff last month. This will be the first All-Star coaching assignment for Hinch, who is the first Astros manager to be named to an All-Star staff since Jimy Williams in 2004. That All-Star Game was hosted by the Astros at Minute Maid Park. In 2006, Astros manager Phil Garner served as the manager of the NL All-Star squad and was joined by his coaching staff for the game.

The 2015 All-Star Game will be played at Great American Ball Park tomorrow night, beginning at 6 p.m. CT. The All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. 

-ASTROS-