Tuesday's 2015 MLB All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati promises the world to fans looking for a sport showcase with something on the line.
It's a home run-friendly ballpark in the Queen City, which will make the showdown between Houston Astros shocker Dallas Keuchel and Los Angeles Dodgers ace Zack Greinke quite interesting.
With starting lineups out in the wild, hometown hero Todd Frazier being crowned the home run king and things set to get underway, here's a look at the pertinent info about the event.
2015 MLB All-Star Game
Date: Tuesday, July 14
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
Time (ET): 8 p.m. (Broadcast starts at 7 p.m.)
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
2015 MLB All-Star Game Rosters
Preview
Pitchers might receive just an inning apiece, but the Keuchel-Greinke showdown would be worth a full nine innings.
Keuchel, in just his fourth season, is an odd story. He posted an ERA of 5.15 or worse over the course of his first two seasons before reeling it in last year. Now he owns a 2.23 ERA and 4.7 WAR, per ESPN.com, over 19 appearances with an 11-4 record.
Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle put it best:
Greinke is more of a known commodity. This year, he boasts a league-best 1.39 ERA with an 8-2 record.
Most impressive of all, though, is the history coming along with the eye-popping ERA. As ESPN Stats & Info reveals, the mark stands the test of time, to say the least:
Put it this way—Greinke has allowed more than three runs once in a start this year.
National League manager Bruce Bochy sang his praises after the selection reveal, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com: "We had some great starters who are candidates, but the numbers he's putting up are really, really unbelievable."
If the starting pitching duel represents a decent age disparity, think of the rest of the roster.
Big names like Mike Trout lead the young generation, but don't forget about older players just yet; guys like the Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols, the Seattle Mariners' Nelson Cruz and the New York Yankees' Mark Teixeira were all given a nod.
Teixeira is a good example of why it's not wise to sleep on the old guard if he's healthy and given a chance. He has had both this year and sports a .240/.350/.526 slash line with 22 homers and 62 RBI.
Or as Jeff Quagliata of YES puts it, quick production for a veteran feeling good this season:
If the old-new battle is a major storyline, so too is Pete Rose provided the host city.
According to Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch, Rose will offer analysis from the broadcast booth for fans and also take part in the on-field festivities in front of his hometown fans:
In addition to his broadcasting responsibilities in the pregame, Rose will also be on the field of the Great American Ball Park prior to the game as part of the MLB "Franchise Four" campaign, where fans voted on the most impactful players in the history of each of the 30 clubs. Fox said 29 of the 30 teams will be revealed in a special video presentation produced by Fox, with the Reds' selections–Hall of Famers Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench and Barry Larkin and Rose–acknowledged on the field.
It is quite clear MLB continues to do everything it can to put forth the best possible Midsummer Classic. While the league's event means much more than others in various sports, more eyeballs on the event would never be a bad thing.
Tuesday's iteration deserves the extra attention. The pitching elite, multiple generations represented and the host city home to one of the league's most legendary franchises, the 2015 MLB All-Star Game looks like one for the ages.
Stats and info courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise specified.
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