After being snubbed over the weekend despite some very impressive numbers, pitcher Joe Ryan was slowly starting to feel at peace with not being selected to compete in the All Star Game.
Never mind that he believed that he had more than earned the right to pitch next week in the Midsummer Classic alongside his peers.
Instead of letting the feelings of frustration consume him, he decided he was going to use them as motivation moving forward.
“You don’t like it, then play better,” Ryan said. “That was kind of the mindset I was trying to shift into.”
The motivation will have to come from elsewhere as Ryan has been named an All Star as an injury replacement for Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown. The honor is very much deserved for Ryan, who has been the best pitcher on the Twins over the past few months with an 8-4 record, a 2.76 ERA, and 116 strikeouts.
“It feels great,” Ryan said. “It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time.”
The official announcement came on Wednesday night at Target Field with the Twins hosting the Chicago Cubs. The home crowd gave Ryan a nice ovation as he smiled and tipped his hat from his spot in the dugout.
Though the public learned the news in real time with the Twins hosting the Cubs, Ryan found out for himself a few hours earlier when manager Rocco Baldelli called him into his office. As soon as Ryan walked in, Baldelli told him the news with president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and general manager Jeremey Zoll also present.
“He seemed so happy when we told him,” Baldelli said. “You could see it in his face. He’s worked really hard for it. Now he gets to be acknowledged the way he should.”
Not long after Ryan got word, he got to celebrate with his teammates in the clubhouse during a brief presentation, which also credited centerfielder Byron Buxton for being selected to the the All Star Game.
“It means a lot,” Buxton said of Ryan joining him next week in Atlanta. “I don’t think it’s something he had on his radar at the beginning of the year. It was just about coming out and pitching well. He’s done everything that we could possibly ask to get to this spot and it’s definitely good to see him get rewarded.”
What is Ryan most excited for now that he’s heading to the All Star Game for the first time in his career?
“I don’t know,” Ryan said. “I read the itinerary. It’s a lot of stuff. It’ll just be cool to go out there and see the best guys in the game right now.”
Fittingly, that distinction now applies to Ryan, as well.
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