Vero Beach's Alex Cobb makes MLB All-Star Game for first time in 12 seasons

It took 12 seasons, but Vero Beach's Alex Cobb has made his first MLB All-Star Game.

Cobb, 35, finished the first half of the 2023 season with a 2.91 ERA across 16 starts for the San Francisco Giants. That puts him fourth among all pitchers in the National League. The right-hander is the fourth-oldest first-time All-Star in Giants history, and the second-oldest in the franchise’s San Francisco era. He joins Giants closer Camilo Doval on the NL roster.

“I’ve always been at home during the All-Star break and watching it on TV and had a little bit of that feeling where you feel like you’re missing out,” Cobb said. “It’s really special to be able to be a part of it this year. It kind of humbles you, as well. Looking around your ballclub, you see how many guys on your team could have that ability to be representing the Giants. To be able to be picked is really special.”

The All-Star game is Tuesday at 8 p.m. and will be televised by Fox.

Cobb’s All-Star case seemed to take a hit after he landed on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain last month. However, he returned after missing the minimum time and delivered six scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday in his final start before the All-Star break.

Cobb is replacing Atlanta Braves righty Bryce Elder on the NL roster. He suspected he was getting a late All-Star selection when he received an unexpected phone call from pitching coach Andrew Bailey on Sunday morning.

More: Veteran pitcher Alex Cobb healthy and happy in second year with San Francisco Giants

“He called me to see if I was at the field, and I told him I wasn’t yet,” Cobb said. “He kind of stumbled on his words. And then I heard [manager Gabe Kapler] in the background tell him, ‘Tell him we need to get his perspective on something.’ It felt like it was made up. Then we had a mass text to everybody saying we had a clubhouse meeting at 12:15. That’s what they did when Doval got named, so I started connecting dots."

Cobb said he had planned to spend the All-Star break working out at the Giants’ training complex in Arizona, but now he’ll shift course and head to Seattle, where he is expecting to pitch for the NL team. He plans to share the experience with his wife, Kelly, his daughters, Chloe and Everly, and his father, Rick, among others.Known for his sinker-splitter combination, Cobb ranks third in the Majors with a 57.6 percent groundball rate, trailing only rotation mate Logan Webb (60.2 percent) and fellow All-Star Marcus Stroman (59 percent).

“This has been one of the better pitchers in baseball, period, for the last two years,” Kapler said. “Obviously, some injury stuff has come up that sort of prevented him from being a surefire no-brainer, but getting to see him pitch every fifth day and seeing the competitor that he is, his attention to detail, how much he challenges himself, how hard he works, how much effort he puts into this, it’s really rewarding for our team to see him get rewarded.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Cobb added to National League All-Star roster