Oysters? Cats? Here's how Cease found out he was starting All-Star Game

SAN DIEGO -- Early Sunday morning, Blue Jays manager John Schneider rolled a big whiteboard into the clubhouse. He told Ernie Clement and Louis Varland that their All-Star gifts were waiting for them in Philadelphia tomorrow, but today, they had something for Dylan Cease.

It was an art project of sorts inspired by Cease’s paintings, one of which hangs -- very loudly -- on the wall of John Schneider’s office in Toronto. Schneider, pitching coach Pete Walker and members of the Blue Jays’ coaching staff tried to draw some of Cease’s favorite things, like oysters, cats and a ball diamond with his name on the mound.

Then, across the bottom, the big news. Cease would be starting the All-Star Game for the American League, just the third pitcher in Blue Jays history to get the honor after franchise icons Roy Halladay (2009) and Dave Stieb (‘83, ‘84). The decision has been hanging over Schneider, who will manage the American League, but he seemed particularly proud of the grand unveiling.

“Between myself and Pete, we got some ideas flowing,” Schneider said with a big grin. “Pete was actually the best artist. I think he’s hiding some talents there. He drew one hell of a cat and put a top hat on it.”

Ninety-six games into the season and on the eve of the All-Star break, you’ve got to keep things fresh somehow.

“I liked it. They’re missing a few things, but you know what? I’m being hypercritical,” Cease said. “It was really cool.”

Schneider made the decision late Saturday night and submitted Cease’s name to Major League Baseball. That was before news came that Cam Schlittler wouldn’t be pitching in the All-Star Game, which landed right around the time the Blue Jays were celebrating Cease in their own clubhouse. Schneider texted Yankees manager Aaron Boone this morning to check in, just in case Boone or Schlittler wanted to talk it out further, and the two managers had a quick call in which Schneider also picked Boone’s brain about managing the Midsummer Classic.

Cease and Schlittler seem to be separating themselves as the two lead dogs in the race for the AL Cy Young Award, so there was obviously going to be a spotlight on this decision.

“If Cam was going to pitch, my decision was still going to be Dylan,” Schneider said. “After careful consideration, obviously, but I informed MLB yesterday. We had decided yesterday and didn’t know anything about Cam. We were assuming he was going to be able to pitch. The decision was Dylan regardless.”

There shouldn’t be anything controversial about this. Cease leads the AL in FanGraphs WAR (3.7) and strikeouts (148). The stretch run of this season will decide who ultimately takes home the Cy Young Award, but Cease is fully deserving of this honor in his first All-Star Game, eight seasons into a stellar big league career.

“It’s pretty surreal. I didn’t know what to say,” Cease said. “Everyone was telling me to give a speech, but I was pretty speechless. This is a really cool experience.”

This is what Cease was chasing when he signed that seven-year, $210 million deal with the Blue Jays, or at least this is the direction.

In those early days after signing the biggest free-agent deal in franchise history, Cease sounded so hungry for more, not at all satisfied with what he’d done up to that point with the White Sox and Padres. He recognizes the obvious, which is that he’s been one of the most talented pitchers on the planet, but too often inconsistent from start to start. Now, we’re seeing that tighten up.

“In a lot of ways, those results speak for themselves,” Cease said, but then continued. “To be honest with you, I think there’s a lot more room for consistency. I still had a lot of starts with too many walks, but this is baseball. It’s been a great first half. I just want to keep it rolling.”

Tuesday’s All-Star Game lines up naturally with Cease’s schedule, too, so this shouldn’t get in the way of anything. He’s already one of the best two or three starters in the American League, and after his big week in Philadelphia, he’ll have 66 games left to leave no doubt.