When the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star teams were announced, one of the biggest snubs was Los Angeles Dodgers starter Ross Stripling. After beginning the season in the bullpen, Stripling stepped up for the Dodgers in a big way.
He was moved into the rotation while four of the team’s five Opening Day starters were on the disabled list. Stripling wasn’t only serviceable as a replacement, but he pitched like an ace for the entire first half of the season.
He enters Thursday’s outing with a 7-2 record to go along with a 2.22 ERA, 2.75 FIP and 1.08 WHIP with 103 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 89.1 innings.
While he originally wasn’t voted onto the team, it was announced on Wednesday that Stripling wound up making the All-Star Game as a replacement for St. Louis Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas, who is scheduled to start on the final day before the All-Star break.
The moment that a player finds out he is an All-Star for the first time in his career is always a special one, and SportsNet LA’s ‘Backstage Dodgers’ was there to document it when Stripling found out from manager Dave Roberts and general manager Farhan Zaidi that he will be heading to Washington D.C., via the Dodgers official Twitter account:
The moment @RossStripling found out he was an All-Star. #BackstageDodgers | #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/OYp8C0HU92
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 12, 2018
Stripling is going to get to share his first All-Star experience with Matt Kemp and Kenley Jansen, as well as Roberts and Max Muncy, who is participating in the Home Run Derby.
Stripling should be available to pitch in the Midsummer Classic if Roberts chooses to give him the call out of the bullpen.
As part of our efforts to help you understand how we handle the personal information you share with us, and in preparation for the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we’ve updated our Privacy & Cookies Policy. The updated Privacy & Cookies Policy will take effect on May 22, 2018. By using our services on or after that date, you’ll be agreeing to our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy. We recommend that you read our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy in full.
