Colorado Rockies: Could Germán Márquez start the All-Star Game?

Germán Márquez has earned the honor of becoming the first Colorado Rockies starting pitcher to make the National League All-Star team since Ubaldo Jiménez in 2010. Now could Márquez join Jiménez as part of another All-Star Game connection?

Jiménez holds the distinction of not only being the only Rockies pitcher to throw a no-hitter, but also the only Colorado pitcher to start an All-Star Game as well. With the way the schedule lines up for Márquez, it is conceivable he could take the mound to start for the NL All-Star team at his home field.

Here’s why Colorado Rockies pitcher Germán Márquez could start for the National League in the All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver.

Starting on Tuesday, Colorado begins a six-game road trip through Arizona and San Diego that will complete the pre-All-Star game portion of their schedule. Barring an unforeseen non-weather-related circumstance (since a rainout will not happen in Phoenix with the roof covering Chase Field and is extremely unlikely to happen at Petco Park), Márquez is likely to start on Saturday in San Diego. With the All-Star Game taking place on Tuesday night in Denver and the Rockies having Wednesday and Thursday off after the All-Star Game before starting a weekend home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Rockies will also have extra time to reset their rotation following the All-Star break.

More from Colorado Rockies News

• A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving
• Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season
• Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series
• Colorado Rockies: 3 things we appreciated from Tuesday in San Francisco
• What Bill Schmidt’s comments mean for the Colorado Rockies in 2023

Márquez is one of seven starters out of 12 pitchers selected for the All-Star Game, so there are certainly other options. However, one of those starters, Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets, has already declared that he won’t pitch in the game since he is starting for the Mets on Sunday, two days before the All-Star Game.

With it being the first All-Star Game selection for Márquez, the Rockies hosting the game, and the 26-year-old right-hander being Colorado’s only representative in the contest, Márquez taking the mound to open the Midsummer Classic would make for some delicious storylines.

And Márquez has pitched on short rest before, throwing an inning in September of 2016 two days after throwing two innings. It was part of a strange September debut month for Márquez, who threw just 20.2 frames in six appearances, including 2.1 in his MLB debut on September 8.

Could Márquez start for the National League? Knowing the time on the mound will be limited to two innings at most, it’s certainly a possibility … and one we will be watching.