By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was picked for his 11th All-Star Game and Paul Skenes, James Wood and Elly De La Cruz boosted the 23-and-under group to five when they were picked Sunday for the July 15 showcase at Atlanta’s Truist Park.
Wood at 22 is the youngest of the 65 All-Stars, while Skenes, De La Cruz and fan-elected starters Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jacob Wilson are all 23.
Cal Raleigh and Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined Wood, Wilson and Crow-Armstrong among 19 first-time All-Stars. Wood was acquired by Washington in the August 2022 trade that sent outfielder Juan Soto to San Diego.
“It’ll just be cool being around some of the best players in the game,” Wood said.
Kershaw last week became the 20th pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts and Commissioner Rob Manfred made the left-hander the 65th All-Star as a so-called Legend Pick, his first since selecting Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols in 2022 under a provision in the then-new collective bargaining agreement.
Kershaw gives the Dodgers at least five All-Stars for the sixth straight season. The oldest NL All-Star at 37 and most senior All-Star with 11 selections, Kershaw is joined by Yamamoto and fan-elected starters Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith.
Kershaw said he didn’t want to discuss the selection on Sunday.
Pittsburgh’s Skenes is willing to start his second straight All-Star Game if picked by Dave Roberts, the Dodgers manager in charge of the NL team.
“I think it would be stupid to say no to that. It’s a pretty cool opportunity,” Skenes said. “I didn’t make plans over the All-Star break or anything. So, yeah, I’m super stoked.”
Detroit and Seattle will have four players each at the game.
Starting pitchers Hunter Brown of Houston, Garrett Crochet of Boston, Jacob deGrom of Texas, Max Fried of the New York Yankees and Tarik Skubal of Detroit were voted to the AL staff by players, managers and coaches along with relievers Aroldis Chapman of Boston, Josh Hader of Houston and Andrés Muñoz of Seattle.
Chapman is the oldest All-Star, born 19 days before Kershaw.
AL reserves picked by players included Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk, Tampa Bay first baseman Jonathan Aranda and second baseman Brandon Lowe, Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña, Boston third baseman Alex Bregman, Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker and outfielders Byron Buxton of Minnesota, Steven Kwan of Cleveland and Julio Rodríguez of Seattle.
MLB used its six picks on pitchers Kris Bubic of Kansas City, Yusei Kikuchi of the Los Angeles Angels, Shane Smith of the Chicago White Sox and Bryan Woo of Seattle, along with Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
“Red carpet, that’s my thing,” Chisholm said. “I do have a ‘fit in mind.”
Smith became the second player since 2000 to become an All-Star in the season after he was selected in the Rule 5 draft, following Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla in 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Smith was left unprotected by Milwaukee and joined Wilson (Athletics) as the only rookies on the All-Star rosters.
Skenes, Washington’s MacKenzie Gore, Atlanta’s Chris Sale, San Francisco’s Logan Webb and Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler were elected to the starting rotation by players along with relievers Jason Adam of San Diego, Edwin Díaz of the New York Mets and Randy Rodríguez of San Francisco.
Skenes started last year’s All-Star Game just 66 days after his major league debut, pitching a hitless inning in the NL’s 5-3 loss at Arlington, Texas.
Player-elected NL reserves were Colorado catcher Hunter Goodman, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, St. Louis second baseman Brendan Donovan, Cincinnati’s De La Cruz at shortstop, Arizona third baseman Eugenio Suárez, Philadelphia DH Kyle Schwarber and Wood, Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. in the outfield.
MLB’s NL picks were Yamamoto, the Cubs’ Matthew Boyd, Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta and the Giants’ Robbie Ray for the pitching staff along with Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson and Miami outfielder Kyle Stowers.
Mets outfielder Juan Soto, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, Blue Jays outfielder George Springer, Phillies shortstop Trea Turner and Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray were not picked. There usually are about 10 roster replacements between the announcements and the game.
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AP Sports Writer Andrew Destin and AP freelance writers Mike DiGiovanni Patrick Stevens contributed to this report.