Two Jewish players made the Major League Baseball All-Star game rosters last week: pitcher Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves and outfielder Joc Pederson of the San Francisco Giants.
Both played for the National League side. Pederson was named a starter for the NL team, earning the spot through two rounds of fan voting. Fried, one of seven selected starting pitchers, was chosen by his fellow players.
All-Star Weekend, which includes the Home Run Derby, kicked off Saturday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Playing in his first season with his hometown Giants, Pederson has clubbed 17 home runs with 41 runs batted in through the first 75 games of the season.
He was an All-Star with the Dodgers in 2015 and is a two-time contestant in the Home Run Derby. Pederson has the second-most home runs in the competition’s history, but he declined to participate this year.
Fried, a first-time All-Star, has posted a 2.56 earned run average, 6th best in the NL, with nine wins and 105 strikeouts in 18 starts.
The left-hander is a Los Angeles native, and his childhood hero was Dodger legend Sandy Koufax, who was honored with a statue outside the ballpark last month.
In addition to Fried and Pederson, Braves prospect Jared Shuster was named to the roster for the Futures Game, an All-Star game for the sport’s top prospects.
— Jacob Gurvis
