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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Justin Duchscherer was all set to spend
the All-Star break in sunny San Diego with his wife and their
22-month-old son, visiting Sea World and the city's world-famous
zoo. Instead, the family will head to Detroit. The A's superb middle
reliever was chosen for his first All-Star game -- and nobody was
more surprised than Duchscherer himself. "I called my wife first, and she couldn't believe it," he
said. "Then I called my parents, and then guys started coming up
and congratulating me. It didn't seem real. It'll take a few days
to sink in." AL manager Terry Francona, the A's former bench coach, made the
surprising decision to choose the right-hander as Oakland's lone
representative. Duchscherer is 3-1 with a 1.48 ERA in 32
appearances, even picking up four saves. Middle relievers usually don't get the attention or statistics
necessary to earn an All-Star trip, but several factors lined up
perfectly for Duchscherer: Oakland's lack of a breakout offensive
star, injuries to other potential candidates and the AL's glut of
All-Star position players. And his teammates, who know Duchscherer as a dependable teammate
and a versatile performer, were just as thrilled as his family. "He's been so reliable and so consistent," A's left-hander
Barry Zito said. "A lot of guys wrote him off earlier in his
career. To see him do this, we're all very proud of him." Though Duchscherer has emerged as one of the AL's top middle
relievers this season, he's still hoping for a shot to be a starter
during his career. He certainly has the pedigree: While pitching for Triple-A
Sacramento in 2003, he dominated the PCL with a 14-2 record and a
3.25 ERA on a team that won the league championship. He was named
the PCL's pitcher of the year, and made three late-season starts
for the A's that September. Duchscherer, who appeared in five games with the Texas Rangers
in 2001, became a full-time member of Oakland's bullpen last
season, when the rotation was stacked with the Big Three -- Tim
Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito -- along with phenom Rich Harden
and veteran Mark Redman. Duchscherer went 7-6 with a 3.27 ERA last season, appearing in
53 games mostly as a long reliever. His role expanded this season
when manager Ken Macha's confidence increased. "He's been a big part of our club the last two years,
particularly last year in our bullpen," Macha said. "Deep down
inside, he probably still wants to start, but this is the role we
want him in. This is what's best for the club." Duchscherer had a streak of 11 2-3 consecutive scoreless innings
over nine appearances before allowing a run to the White Sox on
Saturday night. He's among the AL leaders in innings, ERA and
strikeouts for relievers. Catcher Jason Kendall gets much of the credit for Duchscherer's
superb season, at least according to the right-hander himself.
Kendall has confidence in each of Duchscherer's four pitches,
including a cut fastball and an excellent changeup. Duchscherer might be the least famous player at Comerica Park
next week, but he's still excited about a vacation he never
expected. "It's a goal for everybody, (but) more of a pipe dream,"
Duchscherer said. "Because of the role I'm in, I thought it would
be a lot harder to get in. I'm just grateful."
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