Chris Sale, Max Scherzer Named AL, NL Starting Pitchers for MLB All-Star Game

The starting pitchers for the 2018 All-Star Game were announced Monday and the battle should have fans salivating. 

For the second straight year, Boston Red Sox star Chris Sale will represent the American League while Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals takes the ball for the National League, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

Scherzer will get a chance to pitch in front of his home fans in Tuesday's game, which will take place at Nationals Park. 

Jayson Stark of the Athletic noted the rarity of the pitcher's accomplishment:

The three-time Cy Young award winner also started the All-Star Game last season, although he had a lot of competition for the honor this time around. New York Mets starter Jacob deGrom leads all pitchers with a 1.68 ERA while Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is a top candidate with his 12-3 record.

Still, Scherzer is plenty deserving while finishing the first half of the year with a 12-5 record, 2.41 ERA and a league-leading 182 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Sale also enters rare territory as the AL starter for the third straight season:

The Red Sox lefty leads the majors with 188 strikeouts and his 2.23 ERA is the best in the American League.

Justin Verlander has also had an outstanding season for the Houston Astros but he pitched Sunday and the other top options simply haven't matched what Sale has done in 2018.