Despite enduring a challenging period that has sparked doubts among fans regarding the team’s lack of offseason transactions, the New York Yankees have performed admirably this year. They currently boast a winning record, sitting eight games above .500, and are in contention for a wild-card spot in the postseason. Should some key players recover from their injuries and return to form, the Yankees will undoubtedly emerge as serious contenders.
However, there exists a unique and unlikely scenario that seems almost unfathomable: the possibility that no Yankees player will grace the box score of this year’s All-Star Game. While every team is guaranteed at least one representative, it is highly probable that the Yankees will only have two players on the roster. One of them is Aaron Judge, the exceptional outfielder who is currently sidelined with a toe injury but is likely to be elected as a starter nonetheless. The other player is Gerrit Cole, the team’s ace pitcher with an impressive 8-1 record and a 2.78 earned run average (ERA). Cole is the Yankees’ best option to contribute to the game, as their rotation is set up to ensure he enters the break well-rested. The expectation is that Cole will be among the top choices to start for the American League. Nevertheless, the rest schedule for starting pitchers can be precarious. If Cole lacks sufficient rest days before the game or if Dusty Baker, the manager of the Houston Astros who will be leading the American League team, decides to keep Cole in reserve, there’s a chance that he will spend the entire game as a spectator.
Interestingly, history indicates that such an occurrence wouldn’t be unprecedented for Cole. While he has been selected to the All-Star Game five times in his career (once with the Pittsburgh Pirates, twice with the Astros, and twice with the Yankees), he has only made one appearance, throwing a scoreless inning in 2015.
Beyond Cole, no other Yankees player currently appears to be a lock for the All-Star roster. While closer Clay Holmes has delivered solid performances, they haven’t been exceptional. Michael King, a key reliever, has recently struggled. First baseman Anthony Rizzo faces tough competition. Consequently, there exists the possibility that the Yankees might not have a single player participating in the All-Star Game scheduled for July 11 in Seattle.
Achieving a box score shutout would be quite an accomplishment, something the Yankees haven’t experienced since 1991 when Scott Sanderson represented the team at the game in Toronto but didn’t pitch. In fact, out of the 92 All-Star Games held to date, Yankees players have made appearances in 90 of them.
Sanderson’s inability to showcase his skills in his sole All-Star Game appearance was indeed a disappointment. During the 1991 season, he joined the team when it was going through a difficult stretch, finishing with a losing record for four consecutive years. Despite this, Sanderson achieved an impressive 9-3 record at the All-Star break. However, due to limited rest following his last start before the break and manager Tony La Russa’s decision to utilize other pitchers, Sanderson didn’t have the opportunity to enter the game.
Sanderson’s presence on the mound served as a source of inspiration for his younger teammates, regardless of his lack of participation. Yankees Manager Stump Merrill acknowledged Sanderson’s consistent quality performances and expressed hope that the younger players on the roster were observing and learning from the veteran pitcher.
The only other instance when the Yankees failed to appear on the All-Star Game box score was in 1943, and it was deliberate. With Joe DiMaggio serving in the military, the Yankees, who would later go on to win the World Series that year, had several representatives at the game, including catcher Bill Dickey, second baseman Joe Gordon, outfielders Charlie Keller and Johnny Lindell, and pitchers Tiny Bonham and Spud Chandler. Surprisingly, none of the six Yankees players were given the opportunity to play, an exclusion made more notable by the fact that the roster decisions were made by none other than their own manager, Joe McCarthy.
Following the game, McCarthy boldly stated, “We didn’t need them. We got out there in front early enough. Besides, these other boys deserved a chance to shine. The Yankees have had enough of the limelight.” His decision to withhold Yankees players served as a testament to the superior talent of the American League, as they secured their eighth win in eleven All-Star Games.
This year, the American League will enter the All-Star Game with a nine-game winning streak. To maintain this streak without the involvement of any Yankees players would once again emphasize the dominant strength of the American League.
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