A’s rookie Jacob Wilson enjoys a family chat in middle of MLB All-Star game
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jacob Wilson became first rookie shortstop fan-voted to start All-Star Game.
- Father-son in-game interview marked Wilson's All-Star debut more than play.
- Wilson entered hitting .332, trailing only Aaron Judge across MLB in batting average.
Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ended up using his vocal cords more than his bat and glove during his appearance as American League’s starting shortstop in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game.
Batting ninth for the AL All-Stars as they took the field in Atlanta, Wilson finished 0-for-2. He saw only one pitch in his first at-bat: a sinking fastball from the San Francisco Giants’ Logan Webb, the first pitcher out of the bullpen for the National League, that Wilson sent to left field for a flyout in the third inning. He saw three more pitches in the fifth inning, this time against Washington Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore, and grounded out to his shortstop counterpart, Francisco Lindor.
Meanwhile on defense, a ball never made its way to Wilson at shortstop before he exited the game in the fifth inning.
The highlight of Wilson’s action, instead? A chat with his dad.
Jack Wilson, 47, played 12 seasons in the majors from 2001 to 2012. The Fox television broadcast of Tuesday’s All-Star Game had the father and son mic’ed up — Jacob playing the field at Truist Park, Jack in the stands watching — for part of the third inning.
“It’s been crazy,” the 23-year-old rookie said of the 2025 season to date. “It went by fast. I’m just happy to be here, happy to represent the A’s and just love playing baseball.”
Jack Wilson, also a shortstop, played his final MLB season with the Atlanta Braves in 2012. Jacob was 10 years old.
“This is amazing coming back here for him,” Jack Wilson said.
Rooker’s redemption
A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker saw himself eliminated from Monday’s All-Star event in brutal fashion. Rooker competed in the Home Run Derby but came up short in the first round — by less than a foot.
Rooker did not come up short in Tuesday’s All-Star game. Pinch-hitting with no outs in the top of seventh inning against Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez, Rooker blasted a three-run home run into the left-center field bleachers. His swing cut the National League lead from 6-0 to 6-3.
The All-Star Game ended up tied at 6-6 after nine innings. Under a newly changed rule, the tie was broken for the first time ever using a Home Run Derby-style “swing-off,” in which three batters from each league were allowed to take three swings apiece. Rooker got the American League on the board with two home runs in his tiebreaker swings, but the National League ultimately won it, 4-3, thanks to Kyle Schwarber going 3-for-3.
Rooker, the 30-year-old slugger who leads the A’s in home runs at 20, posted a batting average of .279 and OPS of .860 before the All-Star break. He also played in the 2023 All-Star Game.
Wilson’s history-making All-Star selection
Wilson earlier this month became the first A’s fan-elected starter in the All-Star Game since Josh Donaldson in 2014 and the franchise’s first at the shortstop position since Bert Campaneris in 1974.
Wilson also became only the second rookie shortstop in MLB history to start an All-Star game — after the Baltimore Orioles’ Ron Hansen in 1960 — and the first rookie shortstop to get the spot via fan vote, according to MLB.
And he became the A’s first fan-voted All-Star during their tenure in West Sacramento, where the team began playing its home games this season. After 57 seasons based in Oakland, the A’s are slated to move to a yet-to-be-built ballpark on the Las Vegas strip in 2028 following three seasons in California’s capital region.
Wilson advanced past last year’s AL MVP runner-up, Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals, in the head-to-head round of fan voting to secure the start at shortstop. Witt came in for Wilson in the bottom of the fifth, ending the latter’s day.
Wilson entered the All-Star break with the second-highest batting average in MLB at .332, behind only New York Yankees superstar right fielder Aaron Judge at .355. He is second among qualified rookies in on-base plus slugging percentage, at .837, only trailing teammate Nick Kurtz, the A’s 22-year-old first baseman, who ended the first half at .891.
Wilson for most of the season has been considered a front-runner for the AL Rookie of the Year award, though ESPN in a Tuesday update had him overtaken for odds-on-favorite by Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith. Third place in ESPN’s odds was Kurtz, who leads all MLB rookies in home runs (17).
The A’s ended the first half with two straight wins over the Toronto Blue Jays last Saturday and Sunday. They entered the All-Star break with a 41-57 record, last place in the American League West division.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 7:53 PM.
