New York Yankees ace starting pitcher Cam Schlittler wasn’t starting the MLB All-Star Game for the American League before his withdrawal.
On Sunday morning, the Yankees announced that Schlittler had withdrawn from the All-Star Game. According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, it was a decision designed to give Schlittler a bit of a rest as the team tries to have a big second half, instead of the star pitcher going all out in an exhibition game.
Most people thought that Schlittler was going to start the game for the AL, so when Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays was tabbed as the AL starter, most figured that Cease was the backup plan.
However, that’s not the case, as Cease was going to start for the AL either way.
John Schneider Says Dylan Cease Was Always Starting
Speaking to Blue Jays reporters after the news that Cease would be starting the All-Star game came out, Toronto manager John Schneider admitted that Cease was starting the All-Star game all along, not Schlittler as many assumed.
“If Cam was going to pitch, my decision was still going to be Dylan,” Schneider said.
“If Cam was going to pitch, my decision was still going to be Dylan.”
#BlueJaysAccording to the Blue Jays manager, the decision to start Cease over Schlittler or anyone else was because he is leading the AL in strikeouts.
“Whenever a guy’s leading the league in strikeouts in an era like right now, you got really good stuff, you’re very representative of the American League. So came to that conclusion yesterday,” Schneider said.
Did John Schneider Make the Right Choice?
While both Cease and Schlittler have had incredible years and are the top two candidates for the AL Cy Young award this season, it does feel like this was a bit of a homer decision by Schneider to reward his own guy.
As good as Cease has been — and he has been absolutely exceptional for the Blue Jays — Schlittler has better numbers this season in most statistical categories.
Again, they are both terrific pitchers, and you can’t really go wrong with either guy. But it’s possible that after Schlittler heard that he wasn’t starting the game, he had second thoughts about even going to Philadelphia and participating in the game at all, which led to his withdrawal from it.
Yankees fans are justifiably upset that Schlittler didn’t start the game for the AL, but at the same time, they have to realize that if Boone had the same decision to make as Schneider and it was Cease who had the slightly better numbers, he likely would have gone with his guy, too.
Ultimately, this is a decision that Schneider has to live with, as he went with his own guy instead of the man who most believe is the Cy Young frontrunner this season.
That being said, this is still just an exhibition game, so if anything, Yankees fans should be happy to know that Schlittler will rest up instead of potentially injuring himself starting what is mostly a meaningless exhibition MLB All-Star game.
Cam Schlittler Wasn’t Starting All-Star Game Before Withdrawal