There were two first-timers for the Red Sox
Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran can officially pack his bags for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.
There was plenty of campaigning for Duran to be an All-Star and he received the honor for the first time Sunday when he was voted in as a reserve for the American League team.
Duran won’t make the trip next week to Globe Life Field in Texas by himself. Tanner Houck was also named an All-Star for the first time in his career while Rafael Devers earned the recognition for the third time.
Duran certainly was deserving of the All-Star nod given his dynamic play over the first half of the season. The Red Sox leadoff hitter, who hasn’t missed a game this season, is batting .278 with 10 home runs and 40 home runs to go along with 21 stolen bases, which is second-best on the team.
The 27-year-old also became the first American League player to record 10 homers, 100 hits, 10 triples and 20 stolen bases prior to the All-Star break, according to Red Sox senior manager of media relations and baseball information J.P. Long.
Like Duran, Houck is having a breakout season and now has an outside chance to start the midsummer’s classic.
Houck has been Boston’s best pitcher this season. He owns only a 7-6 record, but touts an impressive 2.68 ERA — sixth-best in the league — and 1.05 WHIP. The right-hander also showed terrific control, walking just 23 batters in 111 innings.
Devers overcame a litany of nagging injuries at the beginning of the season to get back to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2022. Devers remains a feared hitter in the Red Sox lineup and is batting .287 with a team-leading 19 home runs and 53 RBIs.
The trio will play in the All-Star Game on July 16 with first pitch slated for 8 p.m. ET.