The Blue Jays have their guy on the mound to open the All-Star Game, and it puts Dylan Cease in some pretty rare air.
Cease will start for the American League in this year’s Midsummer Classic, the team confirmed. That makes him just the third pitcher in franchise history to get that nod. The other two? Roy Halladay in 2006 and Dave Stieb in 1983 and 1984. Stieb actually did it twice, which is its own kind of flex.
The team posted the news on X with a graphic that said, quote, “ELITE Company.” Fair enough. Cease earned it. His season has been borderline dominant — enough to quiet whatever questions were floating around about whether he’d get the starting assignment or just a relief spot.
There was some chatter, honestly. With a guy like Cease, you’ve got the raw stuff and the track record, but the AL has a deep pool of arms this year. But the league went with him, and now he’s got a spot in team history that only two other guys can claim.
Halladay’s 2006 start is the one most fans remember. That was peak Doc — a workhorse who didn’t just start the game but set a tone for the whole AL. Stieb’s back-to-back starts in the early 80s were a different era, but same honor.
Cease’s path to this wasn’t exactly straight. He came over in a trade, and there were stretches where people wondered if the Blue Jays had overpaid. But he’s settled in. The numbers are there. The All-Star nod is there. Now the start is there.
The game itself is still a couple days out, so no word yet on how long Cease will actually pitch or who’ll follow him. But for now, Toronto fans have something to hang a hat on. Their guy is the guy.
More details on the full All-Star roster and pitching order should drop soon.
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