“I’m a modest guy,” Abbott said. “I’m not going to do anything crazy coming off (the field). It feels really good for the work that we’ve done in the first half. Just continue with it in the second half.”
He has more than earned the ability to soak in the spotlight.
“(Abbott’s) been pitching well all year,” manager Terry Francona said. ”He has just been a good pitcher. The more outings you get like that, then you have a chance to maybe put a string together.”
Abbott learned that he was an All-Star in memorable fashion. Francona received word as second baseman Matt McLain was rounding the bases on his home run trot. When McLain was back in the dugout, Francona gathered the team together.
“We were sitting in the dugout just watching the game,” Abbott said. ”I was talking to the starting pitchers. McLain hits the homer. Tito brings us in like a circle. I thought we were going to get yelled at. He was doing his yelling-but-not-yelling voice. He was like, ‘I’ll tell you guys one thing’ -- with some choice language in there as well – ‘Andrew Abbott is an All-Star.’”
The entire dugout went crazy.
“Very deserving and proud of him,” Reds starter Nick Martinez said. “He’s put in the work this year, and it’s showing.”
Abbott has a stellar 2.07 ERA in 16 starts this season as well as an 8-1 record. He has been remarkably consistent, and he has success with an old school approach.
Abbott was considered a snub when he didn’t make the All-Star team off the bat when the initial rosters were revealed.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“I always held hope that I would (make it),” Abbott said. ”I didn’t really understand the process or anything that went into it, so I didn’t know what to fully expect. So, I didn’t focus on it fully. I thought I deserved it the first go-around, but there’s a lot of other deserving guys, so I get that process. You just had to wait until your name is called. It’s kind of like Draft day.”
He waited for two days, and then he found out that he’d be going to Atlanta next week.
“His consistency, first of all, has been really amazing,” Francona said. “His level of confidence is very high, as it should be. Even when he’s throwing his changeup, you see him. He’s finishing his pitches. His pitches have finish to them. They’re crisp. A lot of that is confidence.”
Abbott has kept finding ways to get better. He had very strong starts to the season in 2023 and 2024, but he tailed off significantly in the final months of the season. His goal since the start of 2025 has been about maintaining his success across an entire season.
He has made tangible changes to get there, including changes with his diet, arm care and between start routine.
“I’ve added more (work) behind the scenes than anything else,” Abbott said. “We have a really good training staff and a really good strength staff who have helped me iron out my routine. Hopefully, we’ll expand on that for days and years to come.”
His most recent start was full of reminders of what has made him so effective. The key to his victory against the Miami Marlins last Wednesday was his cutter, which Abbott added during the offseason. Most pitchers need time to build up confidence in a new pitch, but Abbott has a knack for figuring things out. He also has a knack for command, which has been on display for his entire career.
Abbott’s performance put an end to a four-game losing streak for the Reds. Whenever the Reds have needed him, he has delivered.
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