Chicago – The All-Star Game schedule was a much easier undertaking for Joe Ryan in Philadelphia than it was a year ago in Atlanta.
Last year, he had no idea what to expect in his first All-Star Game. This time around, it was a much smoother experience on and off the field with his fiancée Clare and newborn son Rowan, despite the hot weather.
“It was nice to understand the schedule a little bit more, and yeah, just got to enjoy the family,” Ryan said. “It was warm for sure, but it was good. Just talked to some new players that I hadn’t met before, and coaches, and just enjoyed the time.”
Joe Ryan pitched a scoreless fourth inning for the AL All-Stars in their 4-0 victory over the National League on Tuesday. He gave up a leadoff single to Juan Soto, but proceeded to strike out Freddie Freeman and CJ Abrams, then got Max Muncy on a pop out to Bobby Witt Jr. at short to get out of the jam.
As fun as it was for Ryan to pitch in a second straight All-Star Game, the other players made the experience more memorable this time around. He was surrounded by future Hall of Famers and a childhood favorite player he met during the festivities.
That list included Dylan Cease, Mike Trout, Justin Verlander, former teammate Louis Varland, and Barry Bonds, who spent 22 years in the big leagues.
Cease, who started the game for the American League, was the one pitcher Ryan wanted to go out of his way to talk to about his game routine. He wanted to know what has made him one of the game’s most effective strikeout pitchers over the past five years.
“That was one guy I wanted to chat with, just about routine and what he’s done so well over the years,” Ryan said. “It’s been really cool to watch. We kind of talked about the positives and the negatives he’s had, and just what he’s done to stay consistent. I thought it was cool to talk to people and see how their minds work and how they approach different things in the game.”
Ryan had just faced Trout a couple of days before he met him for the first time on Monday. Trout had gone 1-for-3 with a double and a strikeout against Ryan in Minnesota’s 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, June 11. Ryan had a rare opportunity for feedback from a hitter he’d grown up watching and faced just twice before in 2022 and 2025.
“Having played him in the last series, I asked him a couple things, and we went through a couple pitches and stuff,” Ryan said. “You kind of talk about people that you know throughout the game and similarities in that sense, just checking in and seeing how their year’s going. Wish everyone luck and keep rolling. But yeah, it was cool to talk to him. Another Hall of Famer.”
But Bonds was the one person who gave Ryan anything closely resembling butterflies in his stomach. Having grown up a San Francisco Giants fan and attended many of their games when Bonds was chasing 755 home runs in 2007, Ryan was reminded of the hunt for the photos he took of Bonds that season.
“I was looking through my phone — it was my dad’s,” said Ryan. “I took a photo of a photo. It’s a sequence of Barry Bonds at-bats. It was kind of cool to reminisce on that. He’s a huge part of growing up in the Bay, being around those teams. The Giants had a huge impact on everything at that time. It was cool.”
Ryan’s first meeting with Bonds probably won’t be his only chance to spend time with the Giants legend. Bonds lives in a neighborhood not too far from Ryan’s father, Kurtis’ residence. Ryan often visits his family home, which could provide him with more opportunities to bond with a childhood favorite away from the field.
“He goes to the same grocery store as my dad,” said Joe Ryan. “It’s right next to our house, so he rides by, and they ride the same roads all the time. So that was really cool. Hopefully, we’ll get out and go for a ride. I’ve got to get in a little better shape. He’s a beast on the bike, so it’d be fun to do that.”
