Who was the first pitcher to win the All-Star Game MVP award?

Juan Marichal was the first pitcher to win the All-Star Game MVP award.

Marichal earned the honor in the 1965 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, played on July 13 at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. Representing the National League and the San Francisco Giants, he started the game and pitched three scoreless innings. He faced the minimum nine batters, allowing only one hit before a double play ended the threat.

The National League defeated the American League 6–5. Marichal’s award was notable because All-Star Game MVP recognition had only recently been established; the first award was presented in 1962, when Maury Wills won it. Marichal therefore became the first pitcher to receive the honor, even though pitchers had already played central roles in All-Star victories.

A common mix-up is confusing the first pitcher to win the award with the first All-Star Game MVP overall. Marichal was also a nine-time All-Star and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.