Chris Sale, Max Scherzer Named 2017 MLB All-Star Game Starting Pitchers

The starting pitching matchup for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game is set, as Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox will represent the American League while the Washington Nationals' Max Scherzer will start for the National League, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation.

Both have had outstanding seasons to this point and are No. 1 and No. 2 in the majors in strikeouts heading into the All-Star break.

Sale leads all pitchers with 178 strikeouts to go with a 2.75 ERA and an 11-4 record. Scherzer is 10-5 this year with a major league-best 2.10 ERA and 0.78 WHIP. He has 173 strikeouts in 128.1 innings.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports gave high praise to the pitching matchup:

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Scherzer will be the fifth pitcher ever to start the game for both leagues in his career. The 32-year-old has already won Cy Young Awards in each league, winning in 2013 for the Detroit Tigers and last year with the Nationals.

Clayton Kershaw would have had a strong claim to start the game for the NL after winning his 14th game of the season Sunday, lowering his ERA to 2.18 in the process. Unfortunately, he won't be able to pitch due to a lack of rest.

Meanwhile, Jason Vargas was arguably the top competitor for the honor in the AL thanks to his 2.62 ERA and 12-3 record, but Sale was slightly better. The Boston pitcher also started the game last year for the Chicago White Sox, making him the first ever to start two straight years for different teams, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

Fans should expect a long list of elite pitchers to take the mound Tuesday at Marlins Park, but it's hard to imagine a better matchup to kick off the game.