{"id":6426,"date":"2026-07-15T05:54:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6426"},"modified":"2026-07-15T05:54:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:54:04","slug":"2026-all-star-game-starting-pitchers-dylan-cease-cristopher-sanchez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6426","title":{"rendered":"2026 All-Star Game starting pitchers: Dylan Cease, Cristopher S\u00e1nchez"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>The starting pitching matchup is set for Tuesday night\u2019s All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>S\u00e1nchez, a second-time All-Star, will make his first start after pitching in relief in 2024 and retiring both batters he faced. During a news conference at Monday\u2019s All-Star Media Day, he called the impending All-Star Game start the best moment of his career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>\u201cIt feels really special and really exciting,\u201d S\u00e1nchez said via Phillies team interpreter Diego D\u2019Aniello. \u201cEven more so being here at home. I\u2019m super excited, so I can come here tomorrow and soak it all in and enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>In the other dugout, this is the first All-Star selection for Cease, despite the fact that the eight-year veteran has twice before finished in the top four in Cy voting (2022 with the White Sox, \u201824 with the Padres.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a massive honor,\u201d Cease said. \u201cI\u2019m really excited and I feel very grateful for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>While there were other deserving candidates to start, it\u2019s hard to argue with a pair of pitchers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fangraphs.com\/leaders\/major-league?pos=all&amp;stats=pit&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=y&amp;type=8&amp;season=2026&amp;month=0&amp;season1=2026&amp;ind=0\" target=\"_blank\">who ranked<\/a> second (S\u00e1nchez) and third (Cease) in the Majors, entering Sunday, in FanGraphs pitching WAR. In strikeouts, it\u2019s Cease second (148) and S\u00e1nchez third (144). Cease (2.56) and S\u00e1nchez (2.62) also rank in the top 10 in ERA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>In terms of the Phillies\u2019 and Blue Jays\u2019 history of All-Star Game starting pitchers, there is a connection between the two. The last time a Phillies pitcher started the Midsummer Classic was in 2011, when Roy Halladay had the honor. The last time for a Blue Jays pitcher came two years earlier, in 2009. The pitcher? Roy Halladay. Toronto and Philadelphia were the only teams the eight-time All-Star pitched for before he was inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame in 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>For S\u00e1nchez, starting the All-Star Game represents the latest career milestone for a pitcher who has made a dramatic rise over the past few years. Originally signed by the Rays out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, S\u00e1nchez was traded to the Phillies for Curtis Mead after the 2019 season. He debuted with the Phillies in 2021, but it wasn\u2019t until June 2023 that he established himself in the team\u2019s rotation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>Over the past four seasons, Phillies teammate Zack Wheeler and Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal are the only pitchers with a higher fWAR than S\u00e1nchez. The lanky lefty finished 10th in the NL Cy Young race in 2024 and ascended to elite status in \u201825, finishing as the runner-up to the Pirates\u2019 Paul Skenes. Since the beginning of last season, S\u00e1nchez is 24-9 with a 2.54 ERA and 356 strikeouts over 52 starts. He also put together an amazing run of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/cristopher-sanchez-scoreless-innings-streak\" target=\"_blank\">50 2\/3 scoreless innings<\/a> this season, good for the 5th best such streak all-time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>NL All-Star manager Dave Roberts called S\u00e1nchez a \u201chometown hero\u201d and \u201cfan favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an honor for me,\u201d S\u00e1nchez said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that I\u2019m nervous. I\u2019m at home here. The joy and all of the energy that our fans bring to the stadium is something that motivates me every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>The Blue Jays signed Cease to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/dylan-cease-blue-jays-deal\" target=\"_blank\">seven-year, $210 million contract<\/a> this past offseason, betting on a pitcher who had displayed excellent stuff but inconsistent results over the previous several years. While Cease had been a Cy contender twice in the recent past, he also posted ERAs over 4.50 in both 2023 and \u201825.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>Needless to say, the decision has paid off for Toronto, and now AL All-Star manager John Schneider gets to tab his own ace to start Tuesday\u2019s game. Cease had a short stint on the injured list with a left hamstring strain in late May but has been impeccable since returning, with a 1.73 ERA and 56 strikeouts over six starts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"Styles__MarkdownContainer-dxqlie-0 iMsGag\">\n<p>\u201cDylan\u2019s performance made him very deserving of this honor,\u201d Schneider said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The starting pitching matchup is set for Tuesday night\u2019s All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. S\u00e1nchez, a second-time All-Star, will make his first start after pitching in relief in 2024 and retiring both batters he faced. During a news conference at Monday\u2019s All-Star Media Day, he called the impending All-Star Game start the best moment of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img.mlbstatic.com\/mlb-images\/image\/upload\/t_2x1\/t_w1536\/mlb\/b3ifwdwtr0my40tdoha0.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}