Elite arms Cease, Sánchez named All-Star Game starting pitchers

The starting pitching matchup is set for Tuesday night’s All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.

In a battle of Cy Young Award contenders at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, the National League will send out a hometown favorite, Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez. The American League will counter with Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease.

Sánchez, a second-time All-Star, will make his first start after pitching in relief in 2024 and retiring both batters he faced. Meanwhile, 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, ‘24 with the Padres.)

While there were other deserving candidates to start, it’s hard to argue with a pair of pitchers who ranked second (Sánchez) and third (Cease) in the Majors, entering Sunday, in FanGraphs pitching WAR. In strikeouts, it’s Cease second (148) and Sánchez third (144). Cease (2.56) and Sánchez (2.62) also rank in the top 10 in ERA.

In terms of the Phillies’ and Blue Jays’ 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.

For Sánchez, 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, Sánchez was traded to the Phillies for Curtis Mead after the 2019 season. He debuted with the Phillies in 2021, but it wasn’t until June 2023 that he established himself in the team’s rotation.

Over the past four seasons, Phillies teammate Zack Wheeler and Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal are the only pitchers with a higher fWAR than Sánchez. The lanky lefty finished 10th in the NL Cy Young race in 2024 and ascended to elite status in ‘25, finishing as the runner-up to the Pirates’ Paul Skenes. Since the beginning of last season, Sánchez is 24-9 with a 2.54 ERA and 356 strikeouts over 52 starts. He also put together an amazing run of 50 2/3 scoreless innings this season, good for the 5th best such streak all-time.

The Blue Jays signed Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract 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 ‘25.

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’s 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.