ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The American League starting lineup that Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy will write out for the All-Star Game won't include any of his own players.
A year after the Rangers had five All-Star starters — four voted in by fans, and another as an injury replacement — the reigning World Series champions didn't have any players voted in to start the July 16 game that will be played in their home ballpark. Pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday.
That is all just a reminder of how special 2023 was for the Rangers, who after the huge All-Star presence in Seattle went on to win their first World Series title.
“Incredible year. When you look back at last year and the number of All-Stars, I still remember watching the game and seeing all of them out there. It was really, really cool,” Bochy said Thursday. “Of course, went on to win the World Series. Really, it’s one of those special years that’s going to be in the memory bank for a long time.”
Second baseman Marcus Semien, one of the All-Star starters last year, fell short to Houston's Jose Altuve in the results revealed Wednesday. Semien was the only Rangers player to make it to the final round of voting for starters.
Semien is hitting .231 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs, but has hit .088 (6 for 68) the past 16 games to drop his overall average by 34 points. He had two hits in 36 at-bats the past eight games, and wasn't in the Rangers starting lineup Thursday for only the second time this season.
When Semien didn't play May 29, it ended his consecutive games played streak at 349. He was in a 1-for-20 slide before that, but hit .355 (11 for 31) in the the nine games after his first day off in more than two years.
“It’s incredible how he shows up every day, gives it all that he has for you, for the team,” Bochy said Thursday. "But I just think it’s good to give him a break today."
Third baseman Josh Jung, voted in as an All-Star starter as a rookie last season, hasn't played for Texas since April 1, when his right wrist was broken after getting hit by a pitch. Shortstop Corey Seager is hitting .260 with 15 homers and 38 RBIs after the World Series MVP missed most of spring training following a sports hernia repair.
Switch-hitter Jonah Heim, the AL's starting catcher last year, has hit .175 over his past 30 games. Right fielder Adolis García, who started after Aaron Judge and Mike Trout were both unable to play, has 16 homers and 44 RBIs but struggled through May and much of June.
Those Rangers aren't the only players not repeating as All-Star starters from last year. Major League Baseball said this is the first time each league has had no more than one player repeat as an elected starter since fan balloting resumed in 1970.
Bochy said he has not yet considered what his AL lineup might look like after the announcement of the starters: Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman, Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Altuve, Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Cleveland third baseman José Ramirez, Indians outfielder Steven Kwan and New York Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
This will be Bochy's fifth All-Star Game as the manager, his first for the AL. He led the National League teams in the 1999, 2011, 2013 and 2015 games, when All-Star managers got to pick reserve players and pitchers.
“We don’t have any say, and I wish I did. I enjoyed that,” Bochy said. “Although, you know, it’s always about who you didn’t take, the snubs that were brought up more than the guys that you picked. That went with the territory. So that, I won't miss.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Texas Rangers' Marcus Semien hits an RBI single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, June 24, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka loses the ball as he applies the tag on Texas Rangers' Marcus Semien, who scored on a double by Corey Seager in the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Marking nine months since the war in Gaza started, Israeli protesters blocked highways across the country Sunday, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down and pushing for a cease-fire to bring back scores of hostages held by Hamas.
The demonstrations come as long-running efforts to broker a truce gained momentum last week when Hamas dropped a key demand for an Israeli commitment to end the war. The militant group is still seeking a permanent cease-fire, while Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed.
The war was triggered by Hamas' cross-border attack on Oct. 7, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 38,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Sunday’s “Day of Disruption” started at 6:29 a.m., the same time Hamas militants launched the first rockets toward Israel in the initial attack. Protesters blocked main roads and demonstrated outside of the homes of government ministers.
Near the border with Gaza, Israeli protestors released 1,500 black and yellow balloons to symbolize those fellow citizens who were killed and abducted.
Hannah Golan said she came to protest the “devastating abandonment of our communities by our government.” She added: “It’s nine months today, to this black day, and still nobody in our government takes responsibility."
About 120 hostages remain captive after more than 100 hostages were released as part of a November cease-fire deal. Israel has already concluded that more than 40 of the remaining hostages are dead, and there are fears that the number will grow as the war drags on.
The United States has rallied the world behind a proposal for a phased cease-fire in which Hamas would release the remaining captives in return for a lasting cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. But Hamas wants guarantees from mediators that the war will end, while Israel wants the freedom to resume fighting if talks over releasing the last batch of hostages drag on.
Netanyahu has also said Israel is still committed to destroying Hamas' military and governing abilities, and that it would resume the war after a pause to release hostages.
Israel continues to battle pockets of Palestinian militants across Gaza after months of heavy bombing and ground operations that have devastated the territory's major cities and driven most of its population of 2.3 million people from their homes, often multiple times.
The Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis said the bodies of three Palestinians were retrieved from the area of the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel. A hospital statement said they were handcuffed, and an Associated Press reporter saw one of the bodies with bound hands.
Abdel-Hadi Ghabaeen, an uncle of one of the deceased, said they had been working to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid and commercial shipments through the crossing. He said he saw soldiers detain them on Saturday, and that the bodies bore signs of beatings, with one having a broken leg.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
Thousands of Palestinians have been detained since the start of the war, and many of those who have been released, as well as some Israelis who have worked at detention facilities, say detainees have been tortured and held under harsh conditions. Israeli authorities have denied abusing prisoners.
Israeli airstrikes overnight and into Sunday meanwhile killed at least 13 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials. Six were killed in a strike on a house in the central town of Zawaida, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. A strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City killed four people, and a strike on a house near the city killed three, according to the Civil Defense, a first responders group under the Hamas-run government.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said early Sunday that it launched dozens of projectiles toward northern Israel, targeting areas more than 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, deeper than most launches. A 28-year-old man was seriously wounded, Israel’s national rescue service reported. The barrage came after an Israeli airstrike killed a Hezbollah militant on Saturday.
Hezbollah began launching rocket and mortar attacks after the outbreak of the war in Gaza. The range and severity of the attacks and Israel's counterstrikes have escalated in recent weeks, raising fears of an all-out war that would have catastrophic consequences for people on both sides of the border.
Mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar have intensified their efforts in the past week to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas. Hezbollah has said it will halt its attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza.
The compromise on Saturday by Hamas could lead to the first pause in fighting since November and set the stage for further talks, though all sides still warned that a deal is not yet guaranteed.
Washington’s phased deal would start with a “full and complete” six-week cease-fire during which older, sick and female hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. During those 42 days, Israeli forces would withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow the return of displaced people to their homes in northern Gaza.
War-weary Palestinians in the Gaza Strip appeared pessimistic, after previous instances in which the two sides appeared to be closing in on a deal.
“We have lived nine months of suffering,” said Heba Radi, a mother of six children living in a tent in the central city of Deir al-Balah, where she has been sheltering since they fled their home in Gaza City. “The cease-fire has become a distant dream.”
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Jewish settlers pray in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Jewish settlers pray in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The Eviatar outpost is seen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Jewish settlers pray in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
An Israeli soldiers prays in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A Jewish settler come to pray in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Jewish settlers pray in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Jewish settlers pray in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Demonstrators march with Israeli flags during a protest marking nine months since the start of the war and calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Demonstrators march with Israeli flags during a protest marking nine months since the start of the war and calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Jewish settlers pray in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Jewish settlers pray in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Palestinians look at the aftermath of the Israeli airstrike on a U.N.-run school that killed dozens of people in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Saher Alghorra)
Palestinians look at the aftermath of the Israeli airstrike on a U.N.-run school that killed dozens of people in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Saher Alghorra)
Police disperse demonstrators blocking a road during a protest marking nine months since the start of the war and calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Blood can be seen in the aftermath of the Israeli airstrike on a U.N.-run school that killed dozens of Palestinians in the Nusseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Saher Alghorra)
Police disperse demonstrators blocking a road during a protest calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Jerusalem, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Israeli soldiers walk in the southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. The Israeli military invited reporters for a tour of Rafah, where the military has been operating since May 6. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool)
Jewish settlers pray in the Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during morning prayers calling for the legalization of the outpost and the return of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, Sunday, July 7, 2024. Far-right ministers in Israel’s government have said they want to legalize unauthorized outposts in the West Bank in a sweeping expansion of settlements. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Demonstrators wave Israeli flags during a protest marking nine months since the start of the war and calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, July 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip walk next a dark streak of sewage flowing into the streets of the southern town of Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
