He has an ERA of 0.95, with a WHIP to match, and opposing batters are hitting just .138 against him. He hasn’t allowed a home run all season and is perfect in save opportunities.

By almost any measure, Kauai product and Texas Rangers right-handed closer Kirby Yates should be an easy choice for his second career All-Star Game. It would be fitting, too, since this year’s Midsummer Classic is at his home stadium, Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 16.

There’s a potential problem, though.

Twelve other American League pitchers have more saves than Yates’ 11, starting with Emmanuel Clase of Cleveland, who has 25.

All 12, though, have blown at least one save, while Yates has made good on all of his chances. Clase is the only one among them with a lower ERA (0.67) than Yates’.

Yates has had to deal with the age-old aggravation for ace relievers on losing teams: not enough chances.

Many managers now use their pitching staff differently than the old-school way. The long-time convention rarely steered away from was to reserve your best reliever to deliver the last three (or slightly more) outs of a close game.

Now they’ve figured out that the end of the game isn’t always the most important “high-leverage situation,” and sometimes if you prevent a fire earlier you don’t have to worry about the house burning down in the ninth.

But saves are still the eye-catching stat and a big barometer for success from out of the bullpen. It’s impossible to get a save, though, if your team doesn’t get a lead for you to protect.

The Rangers won the World Series last year but haven’t been the same in 2024. Injuries to starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom are big reasons why Texas isn’t better than 39-46, third in the American League West, and seven games behind the Mariners.

Scherzer, the three-time Cy Young Award winner, was effective in both starts since his June 23 return. He’s a free agent at the end of the season, so there’s plenty of talk of trading him, especially if the Rangers don’t get hot before the July 30 deadline.

Yates was an all-star when he led the majors with 41 saves for the Padres in 2019, and he is likely to get more chances the rest of this season, especially if the Rangers hang on to Scherzer and if deGrom, who is expected back next month, returns to form.

Yates didn’t take over the closer duties this season until 17 games in, after Jose Leclerc struggled in the role.

If the manager of the all-star team (also the manager of the league’s champion the previous year) still picked the all-star pitchers, Yates might be a lock for the roster, since Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy knows all about why he doesn’t have more saves, and has seen his brilliance up-close all season. But now the pitchers are selected by a combination of player voting and decisions by the league offices.

In 2019, Yates said NL manager Dave Roberts of the Dodgers told him before the game that he’d probably pitch the ninth inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland if the NL was ahead. But the AL won 4-3 without having to bat in the ninth, and Yates was not among the nine National League hurlers to get into the game.

If Yates is chosen for this All-Star Game, Bochy will likely make sure he takes the mound this time, especially since the game is in Arlington.