Cease in rare company after dominant first inning in All-Star Game

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dylan Cease in rare company after dominant first inning in All-Star Game

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Jul 14, 2026 10:14 PM ET

Outside of New York Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, not many American League pitchers have been better than Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease.

Because of his excellence, Cease was named the AL starter for the All-Star Game, and he joined an exclusive list after a dominant first inning on Tuesday.

Dylan Cease joins rare company

According to MLB personality Sarah Langs, Cease became just the seventh pitcher in MLB history to strike out three batters in the first inning of an All-Star Game.

He is the first to accomplish the feat since Brad Penny in 2006 and joins the following list:

Brad Penny (2006)
Pedro Martinez (1993)
Dave Stieb (1983)
Jim Palmer (1977)
Warren Spahn (1943)
Carl Hubbell (1934)

Dylan Cease strikes out three in the first for the AL ‍ pic.twitter.com/nOqnpLxiKm
— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2026

Dylan Cease is enjoying a bounce-back season

Cease struggled in 2025, going 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA. Despite that, he was rewarded with a seven-year, $210 million contract from the Blue Jays and it has more than paid off halfway through the first season.

Entering the All-Star Break, Cease was 6-4 with a 2.56 ERA across 17 starts and 98 1/2 innings pitched. His 148 strikeouts are the most in the American League and second most in all of baseball.

The AL Cy Young Award race is on

It would seem that coming out of the All-Star Break, the American League Cy Young Award battle will be between Cease, Schlittler and a surprise contender in Boston Red Sox ace Sonny Gray.

Schlittler and Gray each have the ERA and wins advantage over Cease, but he is ahead in the strikeout department. Three pitchers from one division finishing 1-2-3 in Cy Young voting has never happened, so it should be a fun race down the stretch between those three.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

More must-reads: