What Are The High 10 Pitching Matchups In MLB All-Star Recreation Historical past?

The MLB All-Star Game has always been one of the tentpole sporting events of the summer, allowing fans to see the top stars of the generation compete on the same diamond for a few hours on one July night.

As many legends take the field for the Midsummer Classic, that’s naturally created some epic pitching matchups over the years, too. It’s pretty common to see Cy Young award winners and future Hall of Famers start the All-Star Game, allowing them to go up against a few of the top hitters of their era for an inning or two.

Tarik Skubal (AL) and Paul Skenes (NL) will get the honor of starting the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, with each pitcher making a strong case to win their respective league’s Cy Young award. As Skubal and Skenes join a legendary list of pitchers to have started the All-Star Game, let’s take a look at the 10 best pitching matchups in the history of the Midsummer Classic.

10 best pitching matchups in MLB All-Star Game history

10. 1961: Whitey Ford vs Warren Spahn

The eventual American League Cy Young winner and a previous National League Cy Young winner went head-to-head in the 1961 All-Star Game. Ford, who was the New York Yankees’ ace through their championship years in the late 1950s through the early 1960s, led all of baseball in wins (25) and innings pitched (283) that year to go with a 3.21 ERA. Spahn, the 1957 NL Cy Young winner, led the NL in ERA (3.02) and complete games (21) that season.

Ohtani’s first All-Star Game was a special one. He got to be the American League’s starting pitcher and leadoff hitter, continuing as the team’s designated hitter after he was done on the mound. Ohtani posted an impressive 3.18 ERA that season, while the three-time Cy Young-winning Scherzer had an MLB-leading 0.864 WHIP in 2021. He went on to finish third in the NL Cy Young vote.

8. 2009: Roy Halladay vs Tim Lincecum

Halladay was one of baseball’s best pitchers in the 2000s, while Lincecum was at the peak of his career when the two went head-to-head at the 2009 All-Star Game. Halladay finished top-five in AL Cy Young voting for a fourth straight year in 2009, posting an impressive 2.79 ERA as he also led MLB in complete games. Lincecum won his second straight NL Cy Young that season, leading all of baseball in strikeouts for a third straight year.

7. 1972: Jim Palmer vs Bob Gibson

Palmer was just beginning the peak of his career and Gibson was at the end of his when the two pitchers dueled at the 1972 All-Star Game. Palmer, an ace for the Baltimore Orioles, would win his first of three AL Cy Youngs a year later, while the 1972 All-Star Game marked Gibson’s final Midsummer Classic.

6. 2017-18: Chris Sale vs Max Scherzer

The MLB All-Star Game is drenched with history. The 2018 All-Star Game was a sign of that, with Sale and Scherzer becoming the first pitchers to be named starters in consecutive All-Star Games since the 1939-40 seasons. Sale was in the midst of a streak where he finished top-five in Cy Young voting in six straight years, while Scherzer won his third Cy Young in the previous season. 

5. 1999: Pedro Martinez vs Curt Schilling

Before they were teammates with the Boston Red Sox in 2004, Martinez and Schilling dueled in the ‘99 All-Star Game at Fenway Park. Martinez, who was in the midst of arguably the greatest peak for a pitcher in MLB history, had a memorable night. He struck out the first four hitters he faced and five of the six hitters he went up against, with Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Jeff Bagwell being among those who went down by way of the K. Martinez won All-Star Game MVP as a result, while Schilling earned one of his six career All-Star nods that year. 

4. 1970: Jim Palmer vs Tom Seaver

As we mentioned earlier, Palmer was at the start of his peak for his Hall of Fame career in the early 1970s. Seaver was, too. The New York Mets ace, who was in his fourth season, had already won his first of three NL Cy Young awards the year prior. Palmer pitched a whopping 305 innings in 1970 to go with his 2.71 ERA, and Seaver had an NL-leading 2.82 ERA. 

3. 1979: Nolan Ryan vs Steve Carlton

The 1979 All-Star Game pitted two of the best pitchers of the 1970s and ‘80s against each other. Of course, Ryan was arguably one of the best pitchers in MLB history as no one has recorded more strikeouts or pitched more no-hitters than him. Carlton, meanwhile, was a four-time NL Cy Young winner, winning three of those awards in a six-year span between 1977-82.

2. 2001: Roger Clemens vs Randy Johnson

Just over three months before their respective teams would face off in the World Series, Clemens and Johnson were the starting pitchers for the 2001 All-Star Game. Clemens won one of his seven Cy Young awards that year, going 20-3 with a 3.51 ERA. Johnson, meanwhile, won NL Cy Young that year, marking his third win in a row as he was named a Cy Young in four straight seasons. Pitching in his former home city, Johnson wasn’t able to help the National League win the All-Star Game. However, he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in the World Series that year, winning MVP honors as he posted a 1.04 ERA in the series.

1. 1997: Randy Johnson vs Greg Maddux

As we touched on in the previous blurb, Johnson was in the midst of his prime in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Maddux, meanwhile, was just coming off a historic stretch entering the 1997 All-Star Game. He won four straight NL Cy Young awards from 1992-95 and led the majors in ERA four times between 1993-98. Both pitchers helped set the tone for a relatively quiet All-Star Game as well, with the American League winning 3-1.

HONORABLE MENTION

• 1962: Jim Bunning vs Don Drysdale
• 1977: Jim Palmer vs Don Sutton
• 1986: Roger Clemens vs Dwight Gooden
• 1991: Jack Morris vs Tom Glavine
• 2012: Justin Verlander vs Matt Cain

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