New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler says that Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease deserves to start in the All-Star Game.
On Sunday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider revealed that Cease will start for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The news came out not long after it was revealed that Schlittler had withdrawn from pitching in the All-Star Game, as he hopes to stay healthy for the second half of the season and didn’t want to potentially get hurt pitching in an exhibition match.
Cam Schlittler Praises Dylan Cease
Speaking to reporters after the news came out that Cease was named the AL All-Star Game starter, Schlittler praised his fellow AL East pitcher for the outstanding season that he’s had.
“Congrats to Dylan. He’s been great this year, so he deserves that,” Schlittler said.
According to the Yankees’ ace, the fact that Schneider chose Cease to start for the AL had nothing to do with his decision to withdraw from participating in the game for the AL.
“That decision had nothing to do with my decision,” Schlittler said.
Ultimately, Schlittler’s decision to withdraw from consideration to start the All-Star Game didn’t matter, since Schneider said he was starting Cease either way. But it’s certainly worth noting that the decision the Blue Jays’ manager made did not affect Schlittler’s decision to withdraw from the All-Star Game at all.
Cam Schlittler Explains Decision to Withdraw From All-Star Game
Schlittler also explained his decision to withdraw from the All-Star Game in full detail.
“There’s a lot that comes into that. The staff’s had a lot of injuries this year, between Gerrit (Cole), Max (Fried), and now Carlos (Rodon). I don’t want to put that risk in there of kind of letting the team down. If I were to not recover the right way and I’m dragging a little bit, that wouldn’t help anyone,” Schlittler said.
Ultimately, it’s a decision you have to respect from Schlittler, as he is putting his team first instead of potentially suffering an injury in an exhibition matchup that doesn’t really help his team.
For the fans, it’s certainly disappointing not to see Schlittler pitch in the game, but at the same time, they understand where he is coming from.
Either way, Cease is getting the start, and it’s a huge opportunity for him, as he has been great in his first year in Toronto after signing a huge free-agent deal this past offseason.
It’s actually the first time in Cease’s MLB career that he’s been an All-Star, so the fact that he is starting the game certainly must feel extra special for him given that it’s the first time that he will be attending the ASG festivities despite being a multi-team Cy Young candidate in his career.
As for Schlittler, he is one of the top young pitchers in baseball, so he will certainly be in the mix to start future All-Star Games. He just won’t be starting this one.
Cam Schlittler Says Dylan Cease Deserves to Start All-Star Game