Paul Freelend

When the first pitch of this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game is thrown, do not expect the viewing audience to extend much farther than the Americas.

Barring an unexpected change of heart by their managers or some strategically timed rainouts, it appears unlikely that Masahiro Tanaka and Yu Darvish – two of the best pitchers in the American League, if not all of baseball – will take part in the high-profile exhibition. Both men have their last scheduled starts just before the All-Star break, which would leave them throwing on one or two days of rest.

While it is understandable that neither the New York Yankees nor Texas Rangers are eager for their aces to make the trip to Minneapolis, it is also disappointing. Tanaka leads the majors in wins and earned-run average, and he has earned the right to be feted in his first season in the United States. Darvish may be more disappointed as he could make his third consecutive AL All-Star team and yet not appear in the game for the third straight year.

Unless Choo Shin-soo, Ichiro Suzuki or Munenori Kawasaki make a surprise appearance, East Asia’s presence in the All-Star Game could be limited to Boston Red Sox reliever Koji Uehara. That would be a blow to Major League Baseball’s efforts to establish the game outside of America. Even the most committed of die-hards in Asia would have a difficult time convincing themselves to tune in on a weekday morning for a game that only barely counts.

pfreelend@thenational.ae

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