Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease will take the ball for the American League at the 2026 All-Star Game, with manager John Schneider making the call Saturday night and the team revealing it Sunday morning in a road clubhouse scene that fit Cease’s quirky reputation.
Toronto coaches rolled in a huge whiteboard covered with drawings of cats and oysters, along with the simple announcement that Cease would start Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia. It will be his first All-Star Game appearance, and he gets the nod over Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who has since opted out.
Cease has backed up the winter investment Toronto made in him. After signing a seven-year, $210 million deal, he has put together a dominant first half for the Jays, posting a 2.56 ERA with 148 strikeouts in 17 starts. He leads AL pitchers in strikeouts, FIP and FanGraphs WAR, and he has been even sharper lately, throwing 15 straight scoreless innings over his last two outings and carrying a no-hitter into the ninth earlier this week.
“The way it’s unfolded,” Schneider said, “especially the last couple in Seattle and then in San Fran, pretty dominant outings. Kind of shows everyone what he can do and why we were excited to sign him when he did. It’s worked out really, really well.”
Schlittler had his own case, too. The 25-year-old leads AL pitchers in ERA, Baseball Reference WAR and games started, and Cease admitted after his latest start that Schlittler was deserving.
Schneider said the decision came down to the two of them, but he stuck with Cease. He pointed to Toronto’s run to the World Series last year, including its ALDS win over the Yankees, as part of why he felt comfortable making the choice.
“Whenever a guy’s leading the league in strikeouts in an era like right now,” Schneider said, “and you got really good stuff, you’re very representative of the American League.”
Schneider said he called Yankees manager Aaron Boone early Sunday to explain the decision and offered to walk Boone and Schlittler through it. Shortly after, Schlittler opted out of the Midsummer Classic.
“If Cam was going to pitch,” Schneider said, “my decision was still going to be Dylan, after careful consideration.”
Cease said he was speechless when he heard the news. His teammates wanted him to say a few words in the clubhouse, but he didn’t have much to offer beyond taking in the moment. The whiteboard tribute also nodded to the paintings Cease has made and handed out to many Jays staff members this season, with Pete Walker doing much of the artwork, including a cat in a top hat.
“They were missing a few things,” Cease said. “But, you know what, I’m being hypercritical. It was really cool.”
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