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Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies will start Tuesday’s MLB all-star game at 8 p.m. ET in his home ballpark, taking the mound for the National League against Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays announced Sunday that Cease will be the American League’s starter. Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who is managing the NL, said Sanchez is his starter.
Cease is 6-4 with a 2.56 earned-run average for the Blue Jays. He nearly threw his second career no-hitter Wednesday against San Francisco, but it was broken up in the ninth inning.
Cease is the first Toronto pitcher to start the all-star game since Roy Halladay in 2009.
Cease got the word from his manager, John Schneider, who will skipper the AL squad, during a team meeting before Sunday’s series finale at San Diego.
“It’s pretty surreal. I didn’t know what to say. Everyone’s saying, ‘Give a speech,’ and I’m like, I was pretty speechless, so it was just a really cool experience,” Cease said.
“It’s really cool how all of these things have lined up, you know, even being able to pitch in it and having a good enough first half to be in the running for it and all that. And the fact that pretty much our entire staff is going, it’s really a really great recipe.”
Sanchez ‘grateful’ for opportunity
Sanchez is 11-4 with a 2.62 ERA this season. He’s third in the major leagues with 144 strikeouts. The left-hander’s streak of 50 2/3 scoreless innings was a highlight of the major league season so far.
“I think he deserves [the start in the all-star game]. He’s the hometown ball player and I think the city of Philly will enjoy watching him and supporting him,” Roberts said. “I had a conversation with him this morning. He was very grateful.
“In a time when guys are not wanting to participate, this guy in the Midsummer Classic for fans, I think this is a good thing. He’s very excited about pitching.”
Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, who leads the majors in ERA (1.62), WHIP (0.76) and strikeouts (167), was replaced on the all-star team earlier in the week, when it appeared he would be starting for the Brewers on Sunday. Then Milwaukee scratched him from that start because of arm fatigue.
Also Sunday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said New York’s Cam Schlittler was not planning to pitch in the all-star game, then hours later said the right-hander could be available after all.
With less than 72 hours left before the game, there was no replacement planned for the AL roster if Schlittler wasn’t going to pitch.
“The staff’s had a lot of injuries this year; I don’t want to put that risk in there of kind of letting the team down,” Schlittler said after New York’s win at Washington. “I’m on the roster, and if they need me, I’ll throw. That’s a conversation I’ll have within the next day or two.”
Schlittler was a candidate to start, boasting an AL-leading ERA of 2.05. He pitched for the Yankees on Saturday.
