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Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers and Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants were picked as the starting pitchers for Tuesday night's Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets, tied for the major-league lead in wins, was among those bypassed by National League manager Tony La Russa for the starting role.
Verlander is 9-5 with 128 strikeouts and a 2.58 earned run average this year. Cain, who pitched a perfect game for the Giants this season, is 9-3 with 118 strikeouts and a 2.62 ERA.
Dickey, a 37-year-old knuckleball specialist, is 12-1 and tied with the Washington Nationals' Gio Gonzalez for the most wins in the majors.
Chipper about K.C.
Chipper Jones has played in just about every major league ballpark during nearly two decades of service to the Atlanta Braves. But the eight-time All-Star had never stepped foot in Kauffman Stadium until Monday afternoon.
The Braves keep missing visits to Kansas City during interleague play, one of the strange quirks in the schedule. The 40-year-old third baseman has already announced his intention to retire after this season, so this is his chance.
"To be able to say I've played in each and every ballpark, it's not something every player gets to do," Jones said before an afternoon batting practice. "Fortunately, we're having the All-Star Game here, otherwise I wouldn't have that opportunity."
Jones is hitting .318 with six homers and 33 RBIs in 49 games, putting him on pace for his best season since 2008.