Houston Astros to continue making history in 2018 All-Star Game
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's no doubt that the Houston Astros continue making history!
This year, six Astros players will be present at the 2018 MLB All-Star Game.
Sunday night, George Springer, Alex Bregman, Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Jose Altuve were announced as part of the American League roster by ESPN.
The MLB announced Friday afternoon that Charlie Morton has been added to the All-Star Game roster as well. He will replace Aroldis Chapman, who is inactive for the game. Morton is 11-2 on the season with a 2.96 ERA and 146 strikeouts.
This year's All-Star Game will take place at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. on July 17.
Altuve has joined elite company with Rod Carew, Roberto Alomar, and Robinson Cano as the only AL second baseman to win fan elections four consecutive years.
He is also the first Astros player to be the top vote-getter with 4.84 million votes.
This will be Alex Bregman's first year playing in the All-Star Game and George Springer's second straight year.
Bregman said the announcement took him by surprise because his name was the last to be called.
"I think what makes our team so great is that everybody wants to be better and be the best and continue to get better at this game," Bregman told reporters Sunday.
Gerrit Cole's first appearance was in 2015 while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"To be selected is really special. A lot of credit goes to my teammates, the organization for bringing me here and providing me with this opportunity," Cole said.
For veterans like Altuve and Verlander, this is their sixth and seventh appearance, respectively.
"This team is so good. It's nice to be well represented. I still don't think we are as well represented as we should be," Verlander said. "We have some guys that are doing some tremendous things. But the group that we have going, it speaks volumes how good they are and how good this team is."
SEE ALSO: What you need to know about new Astros player Justin Verlander
