Ryan named to his first All-Star Game, will join Buxton in Atlanta

MINNEAPOLIS -- Joe Ryan said he'd been “at peace” with not being named to the 2025 All-Star Game.

So when Twins pitching coach Pete Maki interrupted the right-hander's regular off-day weightlifting session Wednesday to bring Ryan to manager Rocco Baldelli’s office, Ryan didn’t think much of it. He was then greeted by Baldelli, president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey and executive vice president and general manager Jeremy Zoll, who together informed Ryan he’d been named to his first American League All-Star team.

“It was kind of a shock not to be in [this year], but at the same time, there’s so many good pitchers in the league right now,” said Ryan, who received a loud ovation from the Target Field crowd after the announcement was made public during the first inning of Wednesday’s game against the Cubs. “You’ve just got to hang with them, and if you don’t like it, play better. That was kind of the mindset I was trying to shift into, but to get the news and be excited to go, it makes everything kind of go away, and you just think about the future and going forward.”

Ryan replaces Houston’s Hunter Brown in the All-Star Game at 7 p.m. CT on July 15 at Atlanta’s Truist Park. The 29-year-old Ryan ranks eighth among qualified AL pitchers in ERA (2.76), is second in WHIP (0.89), 18th in innings pitched (104 1/3) and second in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.52).

Those numbers certainly looked All-Star worthy when the rosters were announced Sunday. But only nine starters made the AL squad, and three were their team’s only selection (by MLB rules, each team is guaranteed at least one representative in the All-Star Game).

“He's been so consistently dominant,” Baldelli said “It's just a wonderful first half of baseball. He's had some other first halves that were good and probably was in consideration for something like this in the past, but he has just continued to go out there and do the work. You have to do the work. You have to have the success and put up the numbers and be just continuously really good, and he has.”

Ryan joins Twins outfielder Byron Buxton on the AL roster. Ryan said watching his teammate participate in the Home Run Derby in Buxton’s home state is one of the things he’s most looking forward to.

• Buxton exits Twins' win with contusion

Traveling to the Peach State with his fiance, Clare, and family, and rubbing elbows with some of the game’s best arms, past and present, also rank near the top of the list, Ryan said.

“I read the itinerary,” Ryan said. “It’s got a lot of stuff, so it’ll just be cool to go out there and see the best guys in the game right now and hopefully meet some cool people, talk about pitching and watch Buck do his thing in the Derby.”

One of those guys is Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler, who Ryan said helped him with his sinker last season. This year, Ryan has been using that pitch with a mix of four-seam fastballs, sweepers, split fingers, sliders and curveballs that have left many a batter shaking his head as he walks back to the dugout.

He’ll have them on display Friday when he’s slated to start at home against Pittsburgh fellow All-Star Paul Skenes. Then comes a flight to Atlanta for a celebration Ryan and his organization feels has been a long time coming.

“He seemed so happy when we told him,” Baldelli said. “I feel like you could feel it off of him. You could see it in his face. He's worked really hard for it, and now he gets to be acknowledged the way he should. It was great news for all of us.”