PHILADELPHIA \u2013\u2013 Earlier this season, it was Hall of Fame pitcher and current TBS broadcaster Pedro Mart\u00ednez who gave Justin Wrobleski the nickname \u201cThe Shark.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Tuesday night, Wrobleski epitomized the moniker by doing something no one had accomplished since Mart\u00ednez himself more than a quarter-century earlier.<\/p>\n
In a two-inning relief appearance in Major League Baseball\u2019s 96th All-Star Game, Wrobleski turned in one of the best individual showings in the National League\u2019s eventual 4-0 loss<\/a> at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski throws in the eighth inning during the MLB baseball All-Star Game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Philadelphia. AP Photo\/Matt Rourke<\/p>\n He struck out the side in the top of the seventh, punctuating a dominant 12-pitch inning by blowing a 97-mph fastball past Rays slugger Yandy D\u00edaz. <\/p>\n Then, after returning to the mound in the eighth, Wrobleski bounced back from a solo home run to Miguel Vargas \u2014 his former minor league teammate in the Dodgers farm system \u2014 by registering two more punchouts to make some Midsummer Classic history.<\/p>\n Not since Mart\u00ednez in 1999 had a pitcher struck out five batters in an All-Star Game (the all-time record is six).<\/p>\n Among Dodgers pitchers in the event\u2019s history, Wrobleski tied Fernando Valenzuela (1986) and Don Drysdale (1959) for the most in franchise history.<\/p>\n When informed of his feat postgame, Wrobleski flashed a smile and took a second to let it register.<\/p>\n \u201cFeels pretty cool,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But then, before indulging any further in his performance, he cracked a self-deprecating chuckle to point out its one flaw.<\/p>\n \u201cExcept for [that] I gave up a home run,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s on my mind right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, the homer was memorable, with Vargas going down to get a low slider and blasting it to the second deck in left field for an insurance-adding solo shot.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super happy for him, and he\u2019s having an awesome year,\u201d Wrobleski said of his former teammate. \u201cThat was cool to see. It just sucks that he hit it off of me.\u201d<\/p>\n Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies speaks with Justin Wrobleski of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Getty Images<\/p>\n Still, Wrobleski\u2019s outing will go down as another highlight moment in his own breakout season, as well \u2013\u2013 coming on a night made all the more meaningful by coinciding with his 26th birthday.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super blessed and lucky to have the chance to do this,\u201d Wrobleski said. \u201cThere\u2019s not many guys in history that have had that chance. So pretty cool to play on my birthday. My family\u2019s here. Got to talk to them all day. And yeah, it was super fun.\u201d<\/p>\n That Wrobleski even reached this All-Star Game<\/a> was an underdog story in and of itself.<\/p>\n This time last year, the left-hander was in the minor leagues, overhauling his pitch arsenal after a rocky start to the season. By October, he had worked his way into a roster spot in the bullpen and pitched important innings in the World Series, but still entered the winter seemingly squeezed out of the Dodgers\u2019 2026 rotation plans<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since getting a shot to start early in the season, however, the former 11th-round draft pick has emerged as one of the game\u2019s most productive pitchers, going 10-2 in the first half of the campaign with a 2.69 ERA that ranked seventh in the National League.<\/p>\n \u201cFor whatever reason, I\u2019ve always believed I could do it,\u201d said Wrobleski, who has been overcoming odds since a college career that saw him play at three different schools<\/a> and undergo Tommy John surgery months before getting drafted.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEven when it doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s been something that\u2019s possible, or hasn\u2019t looked like this dream is going to work out, I\u2019ve always had the belief that God\u2019s given me the talent, and I have the ability to be able to do all this stuff. And it\u2019s great to \u2013\u2013 not fulfill that \u2013\u2013 but prove that I can be really good at the major league level.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin Wrobleski of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the seventh inning. Getty Images<\/p>\n Ironically, the only thing Wrobleski had been missing for most of this year was the ability to put hitters away with two strikes. Over his first 86 \u2153 innings, he recorded only 53 strikeouts. His reliance on soft contact had, to some, made his success feel unsustainable.<\/p>\n In recent weeks, however, Wrobleski has found added life on his fastball, more bite on his secondary stuff and a renewed confidence in his ability to do more than just limit damage.<\/p>\n He struck out 11 batters in a June 30 start against the Athletics and nine more against the Rockies last week to help him earn a last-second All-Star selection<\/a> as a replacement on the NL roster.<\/p>\n Then came Tuesday, when he showcased his continued development on one of the sport\u2019s biggest stages.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been kind of learning and continuing to grow and figure out how to strike guys out and where I can go for a miss,\u201d said Wrobleski, who got two of Tuesday\u2019s Ks on high heaters and the other three on sweepers both in and out of the zone.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, in a situation like this, guys are gonna swing a little bit more. But yeah, I made some good pitches today, I got some strikeouts and hopefully can build off that in the second half.\u201d<\/p>\n Wrobleski\u2019s season has gone so well that he has even allowed himself to lean into \u201cThe Shark\u201d nickname \u2014 something he seemed initially hesitant about after it was bestowed by Mart\u00ednez in a social media post in June.<\/p>\n I was impressed with Justin Wrobleski. He was like a shark out there! After tonight he\u2019s now \u201cthe Shark\u201d<\/p>\n