The Houston Astros‘ starting pitcher for their playoff opener on Tuesday is the guy who threw the most innings out of the bullpen as a reliever this season across all of MLB.
His name is AJ Blubaugh, and it’ll be up to him to set a great tone for the Astros in their Wild Card Series against the Chicago White Sox.
Of course, there’s a lot going on here that might seem at least a bit confusing to some fans.
For one, Blubaugh is far from a household name.
Then there’s the fact that he’s a relief pitcher but will be starting a postseason Game 1.
It’s all a lot to consider, but it’ll make more sense as we break it down.
Who is AJ Blubaugh?
AJ Blubaugh is a 26-year old right-handed pitcher who stands 6-foot-2.
He’s originally from Bellville, Ohio, where he attended Clear Fork High School as a multi-sport member of the Colts.
Blubaugh then went to small school college baseball at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
He stood out at that level, which was enough to get himself drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft with the No. 223 overall pick.
Amazingly, selected just three spots before Blubaugh was New York Yankees phenom Cam Schlittler, who at the time was a lanky right-hander out of Northeastern.
Behind Schlittler, Blubaugh is the second-most valuable player picked in that round — with only Mets prospect Jonah Tong a real candidate to catch up.
AJ Blubaugh Stats
Blubaugh has started games before, including at times in the minor leagues, but this season he’s been entirely a reliever — until his opener role in the Wild Card Series Game 1.
For the Astros in 2026, Blubaugh pitched 64 times and had a 3.66 ERA. He threw 96.0 innings and had 94 strikeouts.
A season ago, when Blubaugh made 11 appearances (three starts) in his 2025 MLB debut campaign, he had a 1.69 ERA in 32.0 innings with 35 strikeouts.
Why is Astros’ Reliever AJ Blubaugh Starting?
Blubaugh is starting partly by default and partly for strategy.
The Astros didn’t have the AL West Division won until the final day of the season on Sunday, so they couldn’t rest any arms to line them up for the playoffs. They had to go all out just to get here.
That means their best arrangement of starting pitchers for this series involved avoiding any of their obvious candidates on Tuesday to allow for an extra day of rest.
Blubaugh, on the other hand, pitches often, and for multiple innings, so he was just fine to pitch on this day — particularly because his last regular season outing was on Friday.
There’s also something to be said for the opener strategy. If it works, it gets through the other team’s best hitters with a strong relief pitcher before anyone else has to face them.
How Long Can AJ Blubaugh Pitch?
Blubaugh’s longest outing of the season was 3.2 innings (and 59 pitches) in May. He has only gone more than two innings twice since the start of July.
Those two longer July outings included 48 and 47 pitches.
The most pitches Blubaugh has thrown in a game since the middle of August is 32.
At best, it seems like he can give the Astros two innings on Tuesday — but if he’s rolling, maybe three.
It’s also worth noting that the longer Blubaugh pitches in Game 1, the less he’ll be available the rest of the series, so it’s a key balance to strike.
Who is AJ Blubaugh? Why Astros Starting Pitcher is Reliever vs. White Sox