Phillies P Cristopher Sánchez, Blue Jays' Dylan Cease to start in MLB All-Star game

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez will start for the National League and Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays will start for the American League in the MLB All-Star game on Tuesday.

The Blue Jays announced Cease as the starter Sunday, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman broke the Sánchez news. Cam Schittler was believed to be a candidate to start for the AL, but New York manager Aaron Boone announced Sunday that he won't play in Tuesday’s game.

Sanchez will get the start in his home stadium with the All-Star game being held at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.

Sánchez, 29, was named an All-Star this season for the second time in his career. Through an MLB-high 20 starts, Sánchez has a 2.70 ERA and 1.186 WHIP with 144 strikeouts and 25 walks in 127.1 innings pitched. His 5.4 wins above replacement is the best in MLB after he led baseball in that category last season en route to finishing second in Cy Young voting.

Sanchez’s Phillies are off to a 53-43 start, two games behind the Atlanta Braves in the race for the NL East.

Cease will get the start in his first career All-Star game at 30 years old. Cease has a 2.56 ERA and 1.129 WHIP with an AL-best 148 strikeouts in addition to 44 walks in 98.1 innings pitched. In his most recent start Tuesday, Cease took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants before allowing a leadoff single in the ninth of a 10-0 Blue Jays win.

Cease is in his first year with the Blue Jays. He’s been a bright spot for Toronto amid a disappointing 45-50 start a season removed from their trip to the World Series.