For Curt Schilling, starting next week's All-Star game would be a bonus — a $50,000 bonus.
The Boston Red Sox pitcher would receive that amount if American League manager Joe Torre selects him to start against the National League in Houston on July 13, according to a survey of contracts by The Associated Press.
''Maybe I could split it with him,'' Torre said Monday with a playful smirk.
Oakland's Mark Mulder, 11-2 with a 2.95 ERA, remains the most likely AL starter, with Houston's Roger Clemens the probable starter for the NL.
Schilling, 11-4 with a 3.08 ERA, already is a winner at the bank for making the AL All-Star team.
Under the contract he personally negotiated last November when he was traded from Arizona to Boston, Schilling receives a $100,000 bonus for his selection to the AL squad. The deal calls for the six-time All-Star to receive an additional $50,000 if he starts the game.
''I'm sorry you told me that,'' Torre, the New York Yankees manager, told a reporter Monday. ''I never like to know a player's incentives.''
Schilling, who receives a $12 million salary this year, has many incentive clauses in his deal, including one that would raise his 2005 salary from $12.5 million to $14.5 million if the Red Sox win the World Series. Boston, which was off Monday, is 43-37, beginning the night 7½ games behind the Yankees in the AL East.
Cincinnati first baseman Sean Casey, who will miss the All-Star game because of a strained right calf, had a vested interest in his selection. Casey's contract calls for the Reds' $8.5 million 2006 option to become guaranteed if he becomes an All-Star twice from 2002-05. If he is an All-Star next year, that would trigger the clause.
In all, 43 players earned $2.05 million in bonuses. Six players will receive $100,000 each: San Francisco's Barry Bonds, Anaheim's Vladimir Guerrero, the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, Detroit's Ivan Rodriguez, Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia and Schilling.
Among the original picks for last year's All-Star game, 47 players received $2.25 million in bonuses.
AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker contributed to this report.
