Last rookie pitcher to start the MLB All-Star Game
The Pittsburgh Pirates will be entering the halfway point in a great position to fight for a playoff spot in the National League. While it is a team effort, much of their success could be credited to the phenomenal start to the season by rookie pitcher Paul Skenes. It's been a whirlwind of a year from Skenes. In 11 starts, Skenes is 6-0, with a 1.90 ERA, 89 strikeouts, and a 0.92 WHIP.
A year ago, Skenes was selected in the 2023 MLB Draft with the No. 1 overall pick by the Pirates, and he followed that up a year later joining historic company. This year, Skenes becomes the fifth rookie pitcher to start the MLB All-Star Game.
And that's something we haven't seen in baseball in almost 30 years.
Last rookie pitcher to start the MLB All-Star Game
The last rookie to start the MLB All-Star Game was Hideo Romo (Los Angeles Dodgers) back in 1995. Nomo, obviously, went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award, going 13-6 with a 2.54 ERA, and recording 236 strikeouts. Uniquely, with only 11 starts, Skenes ties Mark Fidrych for the fewest starts in a career entering an All-Star start.
Traveling back to 1995 with the Baseball Almanac, Nomo went into the All-Star break with a 6-1 record in 13 starts with 119 strikeouts, and using the Omni calculator, Nomo posted a 1.99 ERA. All in all, a very similar season to what Skenes is putting together so far this season.
Every rookie pitcher to start an MLB All-Star Game
Year | Pitcher | Team |
|---|---|---|
1962 | Dave Stenhouse | Washington Senators |
1976 | Mark Fydrich | Detroit Tigers |
1981 | Fernando Valenzuela | Los Angeles Dodgers |
1995 | Hideo Nomo | Los Angeles Dodgers |
2024 | Paul Skenes | Pittsburgh Pirates |
Other than Skenes, Nomo, Fydrich (Detroit Tigers 1976), Fernando Valenzuela (Dodgers 1981), and Dave Stenhouse (Washington Senators 1962) all go down in history as the only rookie starting pitchers to start the MLB All-Star Game.
It was fun to go back and look at how all of the pitchers performed in their respective All-Star starts. Nomo threw two innings, only giving up one hit, and recorded three strikeouts. Valenzuela threw 12 pitches and gave up two hits in his one-inning ASG appearance. Fydrich picked up the loss in his two innings, gave up four hits, gave up two runs, and struck out one batter. It probably didn't help that he was pitching against the likes of Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, George Foster, and company -- and that's where most of the hits came from. Stenhouse threw two innings, gave up three hits, walked one, struck out one, and gave up one run.
All of these pitchers are stamped in Major League Baseball history. Skenes is one hottest pitcher in all of baseball right now, and most certainly deserved this nod to start the ASG. Considering the fact that just two months ago, Skenes was pitching in Triple-A for the Indianapolis Indians. It's an incredible achievement for an incredibly young talent.
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