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New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom will skip All-Star Game

Major League Baseball's best pitcher and potential NL MVP will skip the All-Star Game to spend time with family and focus on his health.
Credit: AP
New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) reacts as he leaves the field after the fifth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers, Wednesday, July 7, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

DENVER — Fans won't get to see Major League Baseball's best pitcher at next week's All-Star Game in Colorado as Jacob deGrom said Wednesday he will not be attending the game. 

deGrom, 33, is the frontrunner for the NL MVP at the midway point of the season as his pitching has been dazzling all season. He holds a 1.08 earned run average in 15 starts. His ERA has actually nearly doubled in his past few starts. 

He also leads baseball in strikeouts with 146 despite missing multiple starts this year due to injury and being limited on a pitch count in several others. deGrom has not just been great, he's far and away been baseball's best pitcher this year.

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With those recurring injuries this year in mind, deGrom said he's going to skip the All-Star festivities to be with his family and focus on his health.

"Obviously being named to an All-Star team is a great honor but I'm going to take that time and just enjoy it with my family whether I pitch (the Sunday prior to the game) or not and get healthy for the second half," deGrom said on Wednesday. 

deGrom said he hopes that fellow Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker gets the nod to replace him.

Walker is having one of the best years of his career with a 2.44 ERA through 15 starts and a 7-3 record.

"It was kind of up in the air whether I would go or not and then thinking about it, I think it's best for me and this team for me to not go and throw in that and just rest for the second half," deGrom said. 

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Other potential suitors besides Walker to get the nod to replace deGrom are Washington's Max Scherzer, Los Angeles' Walker Buehler and Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta.

Other headlines coming out of the All-Star Game after rosters were announced Sunday include Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani is the first player named an All-Star as both a position player and pitcher, the Boston Red Sox have the most All-Stars and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., son of 9-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero, led the MLB in voting.

The Guerreros are the 15th father-son duo in MLB history to each be named All-Stars and fifth father-son pair chosen to the game as starters. At 22 years old, Guerrero Jr. is the youngest player to ever lead in All-Star voting.

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