Jun 20, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws the ball during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
In his first season with the New York Mets, Taijuan Walker is in the midst of a career year. The 28-year-old right-hander has been one of the best pitchers in the National League this season and his elite performance has now been recognized, as Walker has been selected to play in this year’s All-Star Game.
This will be the first taste of All-Star experience for Walker, accomplishing the feat in his ninth season in the big leagues. After allowing two runs in five innings on Friday night, Walker finishes the first half of the season with a tidy 2.50 ERA, which ranks eighth in the NL.
Manager Luis Rojas was the first to tell the media about Walker’s All-Star selection after the game. Donning the championship belt for being the player of the game, Walker later spoke with the media about the honor of being selected to the team.
Taijuan Walker talks about finding out he was named to the All-Star team, and is excited to "watch Pete [Alonso] win the Home Run Derby" pic.twitter.com/AWl6K8vRJK
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 10, 2021
Unless another player like Marcus Stroman or Edwin Diaz is added over the weekend, Walker will be the Mets lone All-Star representative in Colorado next week. Jacob deGrom was obviously selected as well, but chose to skip the events to focus on getting ready for the second half of the season and to spend time with his family.
