Cristopher Sánchez and Jacob Misiorowski are on a collision course that runs straight to Philadelphia on July 14, and Major League Baseball still has to decide which of them, if either, gets the All-Star start. The choice hangs over the Phillies left-hander and the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander because this year’s game is returning to Philadelphia for the first time since 1996.
Trea Turner said it would be cool if someone could start in his home season, a sentiment that gives Sánchez an obvious pull in a city that has watched him pile up the lion’s share of his 50 2/3-inning scoreless streak at Citizens Bank Park. That streak was the longest in major league history for a left-hander, and it is part of why Sánchez has emerged as one of the two best pitchers in the National League this season.
Misiorowski makes the case with numbers that are hard to ignore. He leads major league qualified starters with a 1.45 ERA, a 0.78 WHIP and 138 strikeouts in 93 innings, and he has also reached 104.5 mph, the fastest pitch ever recorded by a starting pitcher. On June 12, he blanked the Phillies on one hit with 15 strikeouts, becoming the third pitcher to fan 15 while allowing just one baserunner.
That is the kind of season that can force a selection discussion, but it also explains why MLB’s earlier handling of Misiorowski still lingers. When the league needed pitcher replacements for the 2025 All-Star Game, the Phillies had two left-handers, Sánchez and Ranger Suárez, going well, yet MLB chose Misiorowski as a rookie with only five starts and 25 innings pitched in his career. He had 90 fewer innings than Sánchez’s first-half total at the time, had a 2.50 ERA when he was picked, and then threw a scoreless inning in the game while touching 100 mph nine times.
That decision drew skepticism because it looked less like a reward for a full season and more like a showcase for velocity. J.T. Realmuto put it bluntly, saying that is just how MLB does it now, while also stressing that Sánchez and Suárez were deserving of a place on the team in the first place. Misiorowski later helped pitch the Brewers to the National League Championship Series, but his second-half ERA ballooned to 5.36, a reminder that All-Star choices can look cleaner before the game is played than after it is over.
For Sánchez, the timing could hardly be better. The All-Star Game is back in Philadelphia for the first time since 1996, and his season has given MLB a home-city option with real substance behind it. For Misiorowski, the argument is just as strong on merit. MLB now has to decide whether to lean toward the pitcher who fits the stage or the one whose season has been louder on the scoreboard, because this is one All-Star decision that will be read in Philadelphia long after July 14.
