Three Royals Selected to All-Star Game

KANSAS CITY, MO (July 6, 2014) - For the second-straight season, three Kansas City Royals - catcher Salvador Perez, outfielder Alex Gordon and relief pitcher Greg Holland - will represent the club at the All-Star Game, Major League Baseball announced this evening. All three players will be making their second consecutive appearances at the Mid-Summer Classic, with the trio being voted onto the American League squad by their peers. It was also announced that Perez will start the game due to injury to Baltimore's Matt Wieters, who received the most votes among A.L. catchers.

This marks the first time since the 1987 and 1988 seasons that the Royals have had three players named to the All-Star team in consecutive seasons.  

Perez, 24, becomes the first Royals position player to start an All-Star Game since Jermaine Dye in 2000, while he's the first KC catcher to be named to back-to-back games since Darrell Porter did it in 1979-80. Salvy is hitting .285 this season with 17 doubles, 10 homers and 29 RBI. He entered play today ranked sixth in the A.L., hitting .317 (72-for-227) against right-handed pitching and also led the league's backstops in hits (85), doubles (17), slugging (.449) and multi-hit games (22). Perez singled and scored a run in last season's Mid-Summer Classic, catching the final three innings.

Gordon, 30, makes his second-straight All-Star team, becoming the first Royals outfielder to make consecutive appearances since Willie Wilson played in the 1982-83 contests. He's batting .263 with 23 doubles, 9 homers and 42 RBI. He hit .319 (22-for-69) over the first 19 games in the month of June and entered the day tied for seventh in the league with 23 doubles. Gordon has recorded six outfield assists this season, which ranked seventh in the A.L., entering today, while his 60 assists 2011 are the most in the Majors. He also played the final three innings in left field in last year's tilt, going 0-for-1.

Holland, 28, will make his second-straight All-Star appearance, being voted on for the first time. He's the first Royals' hurler to make back-to-back teams since Jeff Montgomery did it in 1992-93. Greg is 1-2 on the season with 23 saves, a 1.93 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. His 23 saves ranked second in the league entering play today, while his 13.78 strikeouts per nine innings ranked sixth among A.L. relievers. Holland has converted 70 of 74 save opportunities since the start of 2013, with his total leading the league. He faced two hitters in last season's game, getting a ground out and allowing a single. 

The 85^th All-Star Game will be played Tuesday, July 15, at 6:30 p.m. CT at Target Field in Minneapolis. The contest will be televised nationally on FOX and also broadcast on ESPN Radio.