On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Reds faced off against the Miami Marlins in an exciting early-season matchup. The game’s scoring got underway quickly in the bottom of the first inning when Reds infielder Matt McLain launched a home run, putting Cincinnati ahead 1-0. However, despite McLain’s impressive blast, he surprisingly wasn’t the player who received the loudest ovation in the Reds’ dugout during that opening frame.
That distinction belonged to pitcher Andrew Abbott, who wasn’t even scheduled to take the mound until the following day, Wednesday. The reason for the enthusiastic cheers? Word had just reached the Reds’ clubhouse that Abbott had been selected to participate in his very first MLB All-Star Game.
This exciting news was soon made official when Major League Baseball confirmed Abbott’s All-Star nod with a tweet less than an hour after the dugout celebration.
Abbott, who made his Major League Baseball debut in 2023, has quickly established himself as a key part of the Reds’ rotation. Over his first two seasons, he has already started 46 games, showing remarkable consistency and poise on the mound.
This year, Abbott has been nothing short of spectacular — boasting a 7-1 win-loss record and an impressive 2.15 earned run average.
He also threw one of the rare complete game shutouts this season, one of only six in all of MLB to date. Furthermore, Abbott has demonstrated tremendous dominance by limiting opponents to one or fewer runs in 12 of his 15 starts, making him one of the most reliable and effective pitchers in the league this season.
