The young stars of baseball will take center stage at the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, set to be held next Tuesday at Truist Park in Atlanta. Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal and Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes have been chosen as the starting pitchers for the game. Fox will broadcast the event on Saturday night.
Paul Skenes, who received the call from National League manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles , is making history as the youngest pitcher ever to start the All-Star Game, beating Hall of Famer Robin Roberts’ record. At just 23, Skenes leads MLB with a stellar 2.01 ERA, pitching 121 innings with 131 strikeouts. He was the National League Rookie of the Year last season and finished third in the Cy Young Award voting.
Tarik Skubal, meanwhile, was an All-Star last year but didn’t start the game—this is his first time as a starting pitcher. He has improved his performance this season with a lower ERA (2.23), better WHIP (0.83), and a higher strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.56), establishing himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in the league.
While Skenes and Skubal are deserving starters, several other top pitchers, including Hunter Brown, Garrett Crochet, Max Fried, and Zack Wheeler, pulled out due to workload management. The full All-Star roster is determined by fan votes for starting position players, with reserves chosen by player votes and a committee. Managers Roberts and Yankees skipper Aaron Boone usually decide on the starting pitchers after consulting with teams.
The 95th Annual All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, July 15th. Though the American League has dominated recently with 10 wins in the last 11 games, the overall series remains close historically, with the AL leading 48-44-2.
Fan Take: This All-Star Game highlights the emergence of young pitching phenoms who could shape baseball’s future. Fans should watch closely, as these rising stars are setting new standards and could define the next era of the sport.
