Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller still probably can't believe that he just played in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game. At some point in his career, the thought of being part of the Midsummer Classic was nothing but just a fantasy for him.

“There's light at the end of the tunnel,”  said Keller when the first-timer MLB All-Star was asked what he would like to tell his younger self three years ago, per Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports.

Prior to the 2023 MLB season, Mitch Keller carried just a 12-29 record and a 5.00 ERA across 70 appearances (68 starts) in the big leagues, all with the Pirates. Barely any of the numbers he accumulated in the MLB from 2019 to 2021 screamed of All-Star potential for Keller. If anything, his struggles in the past only make his performance so far this year even more admirable.

So far in the 2023 MLB campaign, Keller has gone 9-4 on the mound with a 3.31 through 19 starts ERA. He is limiting opponents down to only a .220 batting average while also having a .284 BABIP. Keller also has a 26.7 percent strikeout rate and just a 7.0 percent walk rate — clearly much better than his 20.1 K% and 8.7 BB% he finished with in 2022.

At the 2023 MLB All-Star Game, Keller pitched an inning and allowed an earned run on a hit while recording a strikeout in a 3-2 win by the National League, who won for the first time since 2012.

Keller was one of two Pirates who made it to the National League All-Star roster, with David Bednar as the other Pittsburgh star.