Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Guerrero laid the strong heart of the American League batting order, second only to Yankees batsman Aaron Judge and led Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in Truist Park, home to Atlanta Warriors.
Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk is also on the Al roster.
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani leads the National League, while Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman represents Canada internationally, fourth.
Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal will start for AL, while the NL fights back with 2024 rookie Paul Skenes.
2021 game is moving
Some might say the game is in Atlanta for four years.
The 2021 All-Star Game was awarded to Atlanta before. But months before the game, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that he would be moved away – because Georgia recently passed a law that many laws say voting rights are restricted, especially among non-white voters.
“Basically, Major League Baseball supports the voting rights of all Americans and opposes restrictions on the ballot box,” Manfred said at the time.
The law remains, although some parts have been blocked by federal courts. Asked later about the decision to get Atlanta to host this year’s game, Manfred said he knew some people “may still have a different view” about his decision to move in 2021.
He added that the “most important” is that the Atlanta team is “a great organization.”
The American League won 10 of the last 11 versions of the mid-season classic.
