ST. LOUIS — For the seventh time in his career, Paul Goldschmidt is headed to the All-Star Game.
Goldschmidt was elected the starter at first base for the National League in the midsummer classic set to be played on July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. This is Goldschmidt's first All-Star nod as a member of the Cardinals.
Halfway through the 2022 season, Goldschmidt is leading the NL in average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+, total bases, runs and hits.
Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado narrowly missed out on being a starter at his position, falling by just a few percentage points in the voting to the Padres' Manny Machado.
Earlier on Friday, Cardinals legend Albert Pujols was named as a special A;;-Star selection from the commissioner's office. It's the future Hall of Famer's 11th All-Star Game.
Here's a round-up of the other All-Star starters:
Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani of the Angels were elected as starters along with Mookie Betts and Trea Turner of the Dodgers.
Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk and Miami second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. were voted to start as first-time All-Stars, finishing atop their positions in the second round of fan voting.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Ronald Acuña Jr. of the World Series champion Atlanta Braves were elected from the first round of balloting as the top vote-getters in their leagues.
The AL starting lineup includes Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Houston second baseman Jose Altuve, Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, Boston third baseman Rafael Devers and Kirk behind the plate. Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees joined Judge and Trout in the outfield, while Ohtani was voted in as designated hitter.
NL starters include Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, St. Louis first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Chisholm at second, Turner at shortstop, San Diego third baseman Manny Machado and an outfield of Betts, Acuña and San Francisco’s Joc Pederson.
Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper was elected as the NL’s first DH following the expansion of the DH rule to both leagues but won't play because of a broken left thumb. Harper earned his seventh All-Star selection, his sixth as a starter.