Nationals' Kyle Finnegan Shares Funny Place Where He Found Out He Made All-Star Team

Patrick Andres | Jul 16, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Given the unwieldy nature of baseball's annual American League and National League All-Star rosters, last-minute changes are inevitable. Every year, players are shuttled in and out of the leagues' respective squads thanks to injuries and unfortunately timed starts.

Sometimes, that means summoning players to the All-Star Game who have already made plans for the break. That's exactly what happened to Washington Nationals pitcher Kyle Finnegan Monday.

Named to the NL team to replace St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley, Finnegan told reporters Tuesday via Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post that he was waiting in line with his kids at Hershey Park when he got the call.

Kyle Finnegan said he was in line for a ride at Hershey Park with his kids yesterday when he got the call he was an All-Star. Flew to DC, then flew to Texas today.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) July 16, 2024

Finnegan quickly flew from Pennsylvania to Washington D.C., and arrived in Texas on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old Nationals closer is 2-4 with a 2.45 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 41 games this season—25 of which he has saved, second in the National League to Helsley.