It's that time of the year again, Houston. This year's mid-summer classic will take place in historic Yankee Stadium as two Astros and two Houston-area products will be showcasing their talent at the 79th All-Star game in The Bronx.
The Big Puma is New York bound and will be making his fifth All-Star game appearance, but his first as a starter. Berkman has been on-fire all season long and has been a nightmare for opposing pitchers. For the year, Berkman has a .350 AVG, 22 HR's, 69 RBI and 74 Runs scored. All four categories rank no lower than fourth in all of MLB as he continues to be an early favorite for N.L. MVP.
Miguel Tejada: The Astros' newest shortstop makes his fifth All-Star game appearance and three of those are with different teams (A's, Orioles, Astros). 08 got off to a hot start for Tejada, but he has been struggling as of late but that didn't deter Clint Hurdle, the coach for the National League All-Stars, to select Tejada as a reserve. As of Saturday, Tejada is batting .282 with 10 HR's and 44 RBI.
Scott Kazmir: The pride of Cy-Falls High School makes his second All-Star game appearance and his first since 2006. Kazmir, along with Houston's own Carl Crawford, are the face of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays. The 24 year-old southpaw has been dominant all season long as he adds to a legacy of great fireball pitchers form the Lone Star State. As on Sunday, Kazmir is 7-3, with a 2.63 ERA and 75 K's.
Joe Nathan: Nathan, who was born in Houston, continues to be one of the game's finest closers as he makes this third All-Star game appearance in a Minnesota Twins uniform. For the year, Nathan has converted 25 of 27 save opportunities to go along with a 1.23 ERA. His 186 career saves ranks fifth among active American League relief pitchers.
Notes: Billy Wagner (Mets), Brad Lidge (Phillies) and Carlos Guillen (Tigers), all former Astros draftees, were selected to this year's All-Star game.
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