Cardinals' Riley O’Brien Named to the National League All-Star Team
Riley O’Brien Named to National League All-Star Team
The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Riley O’Brien is an All-Star.
For the St. Louis Cardinals closer, that sentence represents more than a roster replacement or a midseason honor. It represents perseverance, opportunity and one of the better bullpen stories in baseball this season.
O’Brien was named to the National League All-Star team Tuesday, giving the Cardinals another representative in the Midsummer Classic and giving one of the league’s most productive closers the recognition his first half earned.
The 31-year-old right-hander was added to the National League roster as a replacement for Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. It is O’Brien’s first career All-Star selection and a remarkable achievement for a pitcher who is still playing his first full big-league season.
That is what makes the story so good.
O’Brien did not arrive in St. Louis as a household name. He did not enter the season with the reputation of a long-established closer. But when the Cardinals needed someone to take control of the ninth inning, O’Brien stepped into the role and made it his own.
The results speak for themselves.
O’Brien entered the selection with 22 saves in 26 opportunities, 35 strikeouts over 36.1 innings and a 3.72 ERA. The outings have not always been easy on the nerves, and Cardinals fans have learned that the ninth inning with O’Brien can sometimes come with a little extra blood pressure.
But the job description for a closer is simple.
Get the final three outs.
O’Brien has done that better than almost anyone in the National League.
His 22 saves put him at or near the top of the league, and in a season where the Cardinals’ bullpen has had its share of uneven moments, O’Brien has been one of the club’s most important stabilizing forces. He has given manager Oliver Marmol a defined ninth-inning option, something every contender needs when games tighten late.
This selection also matters because of what it says about development and opportunity.
O’Brien is not a typical All-Star story. He is not a former first-round pick finally living up to the hype. He is not a young phenom being rushed into the spotlight. He is a 31-year-old pitcher who kept working, kept waiting, kept taking the baseball and finally turned a real opportunity into an All-Star season.
There is something easy to root for in that.
Baseball careers are rarely clean. Some players get early chances. Others have to fight for every inning, every roster spot and every role. O’Brien’s path is a reminder that sometimes a player does not need a perfect road. He just needs the right chance at the right time.
The Cardinals gave him that chance.
O’Brien has rewarded them.
For St. Louis, this All-Star nod is also another sign that the 2026 club has found real value in places that were not always obvious. Jordan Walker’s All-Star selection reflects the emergence of a young impact bat. Riley O’Brien’s selection reflects the importance of finding bullpen answers and trusting performance when it shows up.
Both matter.
The Cardinals still have work ahead. One All-Star closer does not solve every bullpen question, fix every roster issue or guarantee October baseball. But it does give St. Louis something every competitive team needs: confidence at the back end of the bullpen.
Riley O’Brien has earned that confidence.
He has earned the ninth inning.
And now, he has earned a place among the National League All-Stars.
For a pitcher in his first full big-league season at 31, that is more than a nice story.
That is a baseball story worth celebrating.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Riley O'Brien, St. Louis Cardinals | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images