25 of 56 All-Stars Will Get Bonuses

Of the 56 players who will participate in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Oakland, 25 will get bonuses for being selected. The bonuses range from $5,000 for Milwaukee Brewers reliever Dan Plesac to $50,000 for George Brett and Andre Dawson.

Brett, who has missed about half of the Kansas City Royals’ games with an injured shoulder and who has been playing first base, made the team as a reserve third baseman. Dawson has a similar clause in his contract with the Chicago Cubs, and his election by the fans to the National League starting team also earned him $50,000.

But their gain is nothing compared to the $300,000 pitcher Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox lost by failing to make the team--$150,000 this year and $150,000 in his contract for next season. Clemens, who held out for most of spring training, is just 7-6 with a 3.70 earned-run average.

Another who lost out was Rick Rhoden of the New York Yankees, who is 11-5, the third-highest victory total in the league. He missed out on a $25,000 bonus, as did first baseman Kent Hrbek of the Minnesota Twins, who has 23 home runs and 55 RBIs.

Hrbek vowed never to play in another All-Star Game after the snub. Noting that only Kirby Puckett was selected to represent the American League West-leading Twins, Hrbek said: “I’m peeved, not just (for) myself, but because it shows nothing for the whole team. I accepted not making it when we weren’t doing well. This I don’t accept. If those guys ask me to go again, they can kiss my butt. I played in my first All-Star Game in 1982, and when I played in 1982 it was my last one.”

Houston Astros pitcher Mike Scott, the 1986 Cy Young Award winner in the National League, will start for the NL, New York Mets Manager Davey Johnson said.

Johnson, who will manage the NL team, said Scott has been the league’s best pitcher during the first half of the season. Scott is 10-5 with a 2.76 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 137 innings.