The 2011 MLB All-Star Game in Arizona will feature three St. Louis Cardinals on the National League roster after Lance Berkman, Yadier Molina, and Matt Holliday all made the team Sunday, with Berkman set to start in the NL outfield. For Berkman, somehow in the midst of his best season ever, it's his sixth All-Star Game, his third start, and his first appearance since 2008; Holliday is making his fifth appearance, and his second in a row, while Molina is on his way to his third appearance in a row.
Berkman trailed only Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers among NL outfielders, while Holliday and Kemp competed for starting honors until the final days of fan balloting. Perennial All-Star Albert Pujols will not be making the trip; he was the prohibitive favorite for the starting nod at first base until he fractured his wrist in June, and is not expected back until soon after the All-Star Break.
The strangest thing might be seeing the Cardinals patch on Berkman's NL jersey, but one other thing will be different from his first All-Star start in 2004: That year, he played center field...