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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 tomorrow 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.
While Dickey hasn't pitched since July 5, La Russa said last week he was leaning against starting the Mets' right-hander because of the difficulty a knuckleball can cause a catcher who isn't used to handling the floating pitch. The NL's starting catcher as voted by fans is Cain's San Francisco teammate, Buster Posey.
The game between Verlander's American League team and Cain's NL squad is set for Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.