For the first time in his Major League Baseball career, Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn is heading to the All-Star Game. However, Blackburn had a unique travel arrangement in order to get to Los Angeles for Tuesday's Midsummer Classic.
Blackburn was initially slated to travel on a commercial flight to Los Angeles since he was the A's lone All-Star representative. That's when the Houston Astros decided to step in. The Astros offered Blackburn the opportunity to travel on their team charter to Los Angeles with Houston's All-Star representatives. The A's and Astros played each other in Houston over the weekend.
The A's pitcher ended up accepting and made the trip to the 2022 All-Star Game with Astros stars Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Justin Verlander, and Framber Valdez.
"It's awesome. Within baseball, it's kind of like a brotherhood," Blackburn told Mark Berman of Fox 26. "Everyone respects each other and helps each other out. I'm greatly appreciative for their organization and letting me tag along over here."
With the All-Star Game taking place on Tuesday, those picked for the Midsummer Classic immediately hopped on flights to Los Angeles, so the situation worked out perfectly for Blackburn.
"It was fun. I felt like they made me feel very welcomed and comfortable," Blackburn added. "We had some good conversations and good laughs. It was a good time."
Blackburn made his first MLB All-Star Game just one season after being designated for assignment by the Athletics. The 28-year old put together a 6-5 record to go along with a 3.62 ERA and 77 strikeouts during the first half of the 2022 season.
