The Braves had one player picked for the All-Star Game -- pitcher Julio Teheran. But most Braves fans will be rooting for at least one other player too.
Former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel, now with the Red Sox, was picked for the American League team. Kimbrel is 1-3 but he has 17 saves and a 2.53 ERA in his first season in the AL.
The Cubs became the first team since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds' Big Red Machine to have five players voted as All-Star starters, and seven Chicago players were picked Tuesday for the July 12 game at San Diego's Petco Park.
Chicago's entire infield was voted in — first baseman Anthony Rizzo, second baseman Ben Zobrist, shortstop Addison Russell and third baseman Kris Bryant — along with center fielder Dexter Fowler, who hopes to recover from a hamstring strain that has sidelined him since June 18. Fowler attended Milton High School in Alpharetta.
Rizzo led NL players with 3.2 million votes. Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester were selected for the National League pitching staff.
The game will feature 11 first-time starters, the most since 2005. In a sign of the sport's generational change, 12 of the 17 elected starters are 26 or younger.
Boston has six All-Stars, including four starters. Designated hitter David Ortiz, who is retiring at the end of the season, became a 10-time All-Star and is joined in the lineup by a trio of first-timers: shortstop Xander Bogaerts and outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts. Knuckleballer Steven Wright and closer Kimbrel also were selected.
Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez and first baseman Eric Hosmer were voted to the AL starting lineup along with Houston second baseman Jose Altuve, Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado and Los Angeles outfielder Mike Trout. Perez led all players with nearly 4.97 million votes.
San Francisco catcher Buster Posey was elected in the NL along with New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and Washington outfielder Bryce Harper.
Arrieta is among five first-time All-Stars on the NL pitching staff, joined by New York's Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Kenley Jansen and Miami's A.J. Ramos. Other NL pitchers include Washington's Stephen Strasburg, the Giants' Madison Bumgarner, the Marlins' Jose Fernandez and Teheran.
Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances were picked for the AL bullpen from the New York Yankees.
Miller and Wright are among seven first-time All-Stars on the AL pitching staff, joined by Tampa Bay's Alex Colome, Toronto's Marco Estrada, Baltimore's Brad Brach, Houston's Marco Estrada and Cleveland's Danny Salazar. Other AL pitchers include Chicago's Chris Sale and Texas' Cole Hamels.
Petco Park is the second of four straight NL ballparks to host the All-Stars, following Cincinnati last year and ahead of Miami in 2017 and Washington in 2018. Wil Myers was the only Padres player picked.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
