The 92nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. It has not been there since 1980. This season, there are 12 relievers, six from each league when including players who will not participate. Here is a detailed look at the 2022 All-Star relievers.<\/p>\n
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase makes his first appearance in his third major league season. The Guardians<\/a> picked him up from the Texas Rangers<\/a> in December 2019 as part of their haul for veteran starting pitcher Corey Kluber. Clase became the closer in 2021 and has blossomed in the role. In 40 appearances in 2022, Clase has a 2\u20132 record with a 1.41 ERA (36 ERA-minus) with an 82.5% Scoreless Outing Percentage (ScOtg%), 41 strikeouts, six walks, a 0.757 WHIP, and 17\u20131\u20133 Goose Eggs\u2013Broken Eggs\u2013Meh (GE\u2013BE\u2013M) in 38 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n White Sox<\/a> closer Liam Hendriks, who has pitched 12 seasons in the majors, gains his third All-Star nod. All have come since 2019. He has made 30 appearances in 2022 for the White Sox. In those 30 appearances, he has gone 1\u20132 with a 2.35 ERA (61 ERA-minus), 76.7% ScOtg%, 45 strikeouts, eight walks, a 0.946 WHIP, and 17\u20133\u20132 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 30 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n When Aroldis Chapman loses his job as a closer, his successor has <\/em>to be something special. And Clay Holmes, a first-time All-Star in his fifth major league season, is. Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> near Deadline Day 2021, the new Yankee<\/a> closer has had one of the best reliever seasons in Yankee history. He has pitched in 41 games for the Bronx Bombers, going 4\u20131 with a 1.31 ERA (34 ERA-minus), a 90.2% ScOtg%, 44 strikeouts, nine walks, 0.871 WHIP, and 24\u20131\u20133 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 41 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n Jorge Lopez, in his seventh season, became a closer for the first time in 2022. It has worked well for him, leading to his first-ever All-Star appearance. In 40 appearances for the surprising Orioles<\/a>, he has gone 4\u20135 with a 1.62 ERA (41 ERA-minus), a 75.0% ScOtg%, 51 strikeouts, 15 walks, 0.925 WHIP, and 25\u20137\u20133 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 44 1\/3 innings. When seeing the success, it is amazing that the Orioles picked him up off waivers from the Kansas City Royals<\/a> in August 2020.<\/p>\n Blue Jays<\/a> closer Jordan Romano makes his first All-Star selection in four seasons, doing so as a last-minute replacement. He has made 35 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2022, going 3\u20132 with a 2.65 ERA (66 ERA-minus), an 80.0% ScOtg%, 39 strikeouts, 14 walks, 1.176 WHIP, and 22\u20135\u20130 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 34 innings.<\/p>\n Fourth-year lefty Gregory Soto makes his second straight All-Star appearance in 2022. The Tigers<\/a> closer has gone 2\u20134 in 33 appearances with a 2.59 ERA (66 ERA-minus), a 78.8% ScOtg%, 32 strikeouts, 15 walks, 1.245 WHIP, and 15\u20133\u20136 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 31 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n Pirates closer David Bednar came over from the San Diego Padres<\/a> in January 2021 as part of the Joe Musgrove trade. Now in his fourth major league season, Bednar has had an impressive first half, pitching in 37 games for the Pirates. He has gone 3\u20133 with a 2.89 ERA (71 ERA-minus), a 73.7% ScOtg%, 57 strikeouts, 13 walks, 1.076 WHIP, and 24\u20136\u20131 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 43 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n New York Mets<\/a> closer Edwin Diaz, in his seventh major league season, gains his second All-Star nod. He came to Queens from the Seattle Mariners<\/a> in a December 2018 blockbuster trade that included Robinson Can\u00f3. Thus far in 2022 he has pitched in 38 games for the Mets. He has gone 2\u20131 with a 1.69 ERA (44 ERA-minus), a 84.2% ScOtg%, 75 strikeouts, 12 walks, 0.991 WHIP, and 19\u20133\u20131 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 37 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n Josh Hader, whose first child was born June 15, one month after his wife experienced pregnancy complications, earned his fourth selection in six seasons. However, he is opting out of the game to spend more time with his wife and new baby. He came to the Brewers<\/a> in one of the most fateful trades in recent memory, a July 2015 deal that sent Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers (the future whistleblower) to the Houston Astros<\/a>. Hader began 2022 with a bang, not allowing a run at all until June 7, a 19-game scoreless streak. In total has pitched in 33 games for the Brewers in 2022. Through July 12, he was 0\u20132 with a 1.82 ERA (44 ERA-minus), an 83.9% ScOtg%, 52 strikeouts, 10 walks, 0.876 WHIP, and 20\u20134\u20132 GE\u2013BE\u2013N in 29 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n However, his last two appearances of the first half were disastrous. In those two games, he allowed nine earned runs and four home runs in 1\/3 of an inning, failing to even record an out in the first of the two. That skewed his first half numbers: 0\u20134, 4.50 ERA (108 ERA-minus), a 78.8% ScOtg%, 52 strikeouts, 11 walks, 1.133 WHIP, and 21\u20134\u20132 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 30 innings.<\/p>\n These next two All-Stars are new faces to most fans in the country. Ryan Helsey is more of a setup man than a closer, although he can <\/em>close and recently has been doing so more often. He has made 31 appearances for the Cardinals<\/a> in 2022, pitching well enough for the fourth-year righty to earn his first All-Star nod. He has gone 5\u20131 with an 0.69 ERA (18 ERA-minus), a 87.1% ScOtg%, 57 strikeouts, 12 walks, 0.667 WHIP, and 22\u20131\u20132 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 39 innings.<\/p>\n Joe Mantiply is probably the least recognized, nationwide, of the 12 All-Star relievers. The Diamondbacks<\/a> middle-relief specialist had been given up on by three teams, one of which gave him two tries, before finding a home with the Diamondbacks. 2022 was the first year out of his five in the majors where he appeared on an Opening Day roster. On that date, he got the win. It was a sign of things to come. He did not allow a run at all<\/em> until May 4 and did not allow his second run until June 25, when Kody Clemens of the Tigers tagged him with a three-run home run \u2014 the first time a lefty ever homered off Mantiply in major league play.<\/p>\n Through the end of play July 4, Mantiply had gone 1\u20131 with a 1.13 ERA (27 ERA-minus), a 93.9% ScOtg%, 33 strikeouts, one walk, 0.844 WHIP in 32 innings. He had a rough week between July 6 and 13, when the San Francisco Giants<\/a> scored on him in all three of his appearances against them. He recovered well, however, putting up zeroes in his two appearances against the Padres. Overall, it made his final first half record 1\u20132 with a 2.21 ERA (53 ERA-minus), an 87.2% ScOtg%, 38 strikeouts, two walks, 0.955 WHIP, and 10\u20134\u20136 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 36 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n We finally come to Devin Williams, who earned his selection \u2014 the first of his career \u2014 as a last-minute replacement, something that righted a wrong. The 2020 NL Rookie of the Year has not allowed any earned runs since May 10. Williams is in his fourth season, where he has become one of the most feared setup men in the NL. He has made 39 appearances for the Brewers thus far in 2022, going 2\u20130 with a 1.77 ERA (42 ERA-minus), a 89.7% ScOtg%, 59 strikeouts, 19 walks, 1.037 WHIP, and 24\u20131\u20130 GE\u2013BE\u2013M in 35 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n Good luck to either team trying to score on these guys late in the game. One beauty of the All-Star Game is the number of talented players who finally get exposure to a national audience, and this year is no exception. For these 12 All-Star relievers, more than half are probably not very well known outside of their own fanbase. Look for sick numbers to come from these hurlers in the second half.<\/p>\nLiam Hendriks<\/strong>, Chicago White Sox<\/h4>\n
Clay Holmes<\/strong>, New York Yankees<\/h4>\n
Jorge Lopez<\/strong>, Baltimore Orioles<\/h4>\n
Jordan Romano<\/strong>, Toronto Blue Jays<\/h4>\n
Gregory Soto<\/strong>, Detroit Tigers<\/h4>\n
National League All-Star Relievers<\/h3>\n
David Bednar<\/strong>, Pittsburgh Pirates<\/h4>\n
Edwin Diaz<\/strong>, New York Mets<\/h4>\n
Josh Hader<\/strong>, Milwaukee Brewers<\/h4>\n
Ryan Helsley<\/strong>, St. Louis Cardinals<\/h4>\n
Joe Mantiply<\/strong>, Arizona Diamondbacks<\/h4>\n
Devin Williams<\/strong>, Milwaukee Brewers<\/h4>\n
Outlook<\/h3>\n
Main Photo:<\/h4>\n