Gallen's journey to All-Star began with those in his circle

PHOENIX -- Being selected for the All-Star Game, particularly considering it was his fellow players who voted him in, was an honor for D-backs right-hander Zac Gallen, something that he had long dreamed about and worked toward with his perfectionist intensity. He'll also have the honor of starting for the National League on Tuesday.

What Gallen hadn’t anticipated was how fulfilling it would feel to share the honor with the people who had long supported him back when pitching in a Midsummer Classic seemed unthinkable.

• MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: Tuesday at 5 MST on FOX

One was his father, Jim, who was Gallen’s first coach and the one who spent his weekends driving Gallen to travel ball games. Jim was one of the first to see the potential in his son and help instill the belief that a future in baseball was possible.

When Gallen was pitching at the University of North Carolina, Jim would find a way to be at most of his son’s starts.

“I was on the phone with my dad the other day,” Gallen said. “And I realized that it’s been just as fun for him as it has been for me. He was my first coach, so for him to see this, I mean who would have thought? I don’t want to say he was the only one who believed in me, but he believed from the beginning. He was like, ‘I know how good my son is.’ He saw my potential, which a lot of people didn’t see at that time.”

There were others, of course: Gallen’s mom, Stacey; his older brother, Jay; and Jay’s best friend, Michael Ferretti. They were there from the beginning, before UNC or the MLB Draft.

And there’s his girlfriend, Elise, who has supported him when he battled through a frustrating injury-marred 2021, when he was part of a 110-loss Arizona team.

Just how much that group has meant to him is something that has been reinforced to Gallen over the past week. They will be in Seattle to watch him in the All-Star Game and share in his accomplishment.

“It just reminds me that those people have been there and have supported me,” Gallen said. “It just brings me back to where I’ve come from, and there have been people that have been there every step of the way. Being able to share this with those people is something that, to me, matters more than the All-Star Game itself. I’m fortunate to be able to do that.”

Gallen, who is constantly on the hunt for any edge he can find, plans to make the most of his time around the game’s best pitchers.

Specifically, Gallen has questions for Dodgers veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw.

“Just more about how he’s done it,” Gallen said. “How he’s evolved over the years and stayed at the top of the game for 16 years. I want to know what’s worked for him in terms of routine and that kind of stuff that has allowed him to be so good for so long. I’m infatuated with the guys who have done it for a while and continued to find ways to get people out.”

Gallen is relentless in his quest to get better. He has yet to pitch a game where he felt afterward that there wasn’t just one thing, but numerous things that he can get better at.

When there’s a game on TV, he will watch how pitchers sequence their pitches, seeing if there is something he can pick up. He’ll scroll through Twitter and Instagram for pitching clips. He works closely with D-backs pitching strategist Dan Haren on game planning.

Gallen wears No. 23, a homage to NBA legend Michael Jordan, and much like Jordan did during his career, Gallen uses slights, real or perceived, to fuel him.

“It’s just my nature,” Gallen said. “It’s not something that’s artificial. I think it probably started at a young age, just being smaller, not throwing that hard. I was a late bloomer in terms of college recruiting. I knew I wasn’t going to just be able to rest on having unbelievable arm talent. I’ve just always known there are slights out there, and if I see one, I’ll lean into it and use it to my advantage.”