NEW YORK, July 13, 2025 (AFP) - Detroit's Tarik Skubal and Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes were named Saturday as the starting pitchers for Tuesday's Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Atlanta.

Skubal, a 28-year-old American left-hander, ranks second in MLB with 153 strikeouts and shares second in the American League with a 2.23 earned-run average (ERA) as the Tigers own the best record in MLB at 59-37.

Skubal, 10-3 this season, was last year's AL Cy Young Award winner as best pitcher after capturing the Triple Crown by leading the AL with 18 wins 228 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA.

He will become the first Tigers pitcher to start the MLB All-Star Game since Max Scherzer in 2013.

Skenes, last year's National League Rookie of the Year, was the starter for the NL in the 2024 All-Star Game, pitching a scoreless inning in the AL's 5-3 victory.

The 23-year-old US right-hander has the best ERA in MLB at 2.01 with a 4-8 record and 131 strikeouts in 121 innings for a Pirates' squad that stands 38-58, MLB's third-worst record overall.