MLB All-Star roster: Shohei Ohtani becomes first to feature as both pitcher, hitter

The roster for Major League Baseball‘s All-Star game was announced on Sunday and Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani created history by becoming the first player in MLB history on Sunday to be selected to the All-Star game as both a position player and pitcher.

Earlier, Ohtani had been selected in fan voting as a designated hitter for the American League squad and is entered in the Home Run Derby on All-Star weekend.

Additionally, the Los Angeles Angels two-way player, who leads the league in home runs with 30, was chosen on Sunday as a starting pitcher for the AL team, receiving 121 votes in balloting by players, coaches and managers.

“The guy’s going to participate in Home Run Derby, pitch in the game and hit in the game. That doesn’t happen, like, ever,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said.

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“Even the non-baseball fan can really latch onto this and become interested.”

Even in his young career, Ohtani compared to the legendary American Babe Ruth, who retired in 1935 after 22 seasons, for his two-way play.

Ruth, nicknamed the ‘Sultan of Swat’, ended his career with 714 home runs and 10 World Series titles. But Ruth didn’t pitch much after the 1919 season and the All-Star game didn’t come into being until 1933.

Heading into Sunday, Ohtani had a .278 batting average and 66 RBI along with a 3-1 record and a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts on the mound to go with 83 strikeouts in 60 innings.

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He will join fellow starting pitchers Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees, and Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodon of the Chicago White Sox in the All-Star game on July 13 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.

For National League, Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers is reported to be the designated hitter.

Full All-Star lineup:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Elected starters:

Salvador Perez (Kansas City)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)

Marcus Semien (Toronto Blue Jays)

Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox)

Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox)

Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)

Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)

Teoscar Hernández (Toronto Blue Jays)

Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) 

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Elected starters:

Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)

Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves)

Adam Frazier (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Nolan Arenado (St. Louis Cardinals)

Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres)

Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves)

Nick Castellanos (Cincinnati Reds)

Jesse Winker (Cincinnati Reds)