Victorino, Inge Win Record-Breaking All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote Races
Fans of Tigers, Phillies help first-time All-Stars earn St. Louis spots
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino and Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge were chosen by fans as the winners of the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote in record-shattering voting exclusively on MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, and the individual Club sites.
Baseball fans supported the 10 candidates named by All-Star managers Joe Maddon and Charlie Manuel in unprecedented fashion by casting a record 68.6 million votes since the program commenced on Sunday, July 5 at 2:00 p.m. (EDT). This year’s record number of votes represents an increase of 43.5 percent from the previous mark of 47.8 million set in 2008. Since its inception in 2002, the All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote has now recorded nearly 200 million votes.
The National League winner, Victorino, received the highest total number of votes ever, surpassing Evan Longoria’s nine million in 2008, and led all vote-getters with 15.6 million en route to becoming the second Phillies player to win the balloting (Bobby Abreu, 2004). He was followed by Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants, Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cristian Guzman of the Washington Nationals.
On the American League ballot, Inge became the first Detroit player to win the All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote by holding off Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers to claim the final spot on the All-Star roster with a final tally of 11.8 million votes, the most ever for an American League player. Inge and Kinsler were followed by Chone Figgins of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Carlos Pena of the Tampa Bay Rays; and Adam Lind of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Previous winners of the All-Star Sprint Game Final Vote are: Evan Longoria (AL, 2008); Corey Hart (NL, 2008), Hideki Okajima (AL, 2007); Chris Young (NL, 2007); A.J. Pierzynski (AL, 2006); Nomar Garciaparra (NL, 2006); Scott Podsednik (AL, 2005); Roy Oswalt (NL, 2005); Hideki Matsui (AL, 2004); Bobby Abreu (NL, 2004); Jason Varitek (AL, 2003); Geoff Jenkins (NL, 2003); Johnny Damon (AL, 2002); and Andruw Jones (NL, 2002).
Source: MLB.com
Lead changes, record voting set stage for dramatic finish to All-Star Game Sprint Final vote
Victorino takes NL lead; Inge stays atop AL; Polls close today at 4pm (EDT) Real-time updates available today at 12pm and 2pm on MLB.com and @MLB on Twitter
Shane Victorino gave Philadelphia Phillies fans late-inning heroics last night with his game-winning single and Phillies fans just might be giving the outfielder their own late-inning rally by propelling him into first place on the National League ballot with just under eight hours left in the record-setting All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote on MLB.com and the individual Club sites. The All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote has already surpassed all-time records for total ballots cast and total votes with 33.1 million and 53.4 million, respectively.
In the American League, Brandon Inge of the Detroit Tigers maintains a narrow advantage over Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers while Chone Figgins of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim has gained significant ground in the race for the final spot on the All-Star Team. They are followed by Carlos Pena of the Tampa Bay Rays and Adam Lind of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Victorino, who has already accumulated 10.8 million votes to surpass Evan Longoria’s record-setting nine million in 2008, holds a slight edge over his top contender, Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants. Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cristian Guzman of the Washington Nationals round out the standings in the National League.
Mobile voting is available exclusively on Sprint capable mobile phones and fans can send the word “Vote” to 1122 to receive the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote ballot. Standard text rates apply. In Canada, fans should text the word “Vote” to 88555.
Real-time updates for each of the tightly-contested races will be made available today at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. (EDT) on MLB.com and via @MLB on Twitter. The winners will be announced shortly after the conclusion of balloting at 4 p.m. (EDT).
Source: MLB.com
Lead changes highlight Day Two of All-Star Game Sprint Final vote
Sandoval and Kinsler re-gain top spots in tight races after briefly losing them overnight
Both races in this year’s All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote saw lead changes last night after day one frontrunners Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants and Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers fell behind Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies and Brandon Inge of the Detroit Tigers, respectively. At the 48-hour mark, Sandoval and Kinsler have each re-gained those leads with balloting ahead of last year’s record pace as 22.2 million votes have been cast exclusively on MLB.com and the individual Club sites.
While Sandoval and Victorino swapped the top spot on the ballot last night, Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers each have garnered nearly two million votes and are looming in this very close race for the final roster spot on the 2009 National League All-Star Team. They are followed by Cristian Guzman of the Washington Nationals.
Over in the American League, Inge eclipsed Kinsler for first place last night before the Rangers second baseman re-gained the lead earlier today. Overall, Kinsler, Inge and Chone Figgins of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim each have tallied more than two million votes while Carlos Pena of the Tampa Bay Rays and Adam Lind of the Toronto Blue Jays are in position to make a run.
The eighth annual All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote ballot commenced exclusively on MLB.com and the individual Club sites at 2 p.m. (EDT) on Sunday and will continue until the voting concludes at 4 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, July 9, 2009.
Mobile voting is available exclusively on Sprint capable mobile phones and fans can send the word “Vote” to 1122 to receive the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote ballot. Standard text rates apply. In Canada, fans should text the word “Vote” to 88555.
The All-Star Sprint Game Final Vote program has seen nearly 140 million votes cast since its inception in 2002, including last year’s record-setting total when fans chose Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays and Corey Hart of the Milwaukee Brewers. Previous winners of the All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote are: Hideki Okajima (AL, 2007); Chris Young (NL, 2007); A.J. Pierzynski (AL, 2006); Nomar Garciaparra (NL, 2006); Scott Podsednik (AL, 2005); Roy Oswalt (NL, 2005); Hideki Matsui (AL, 2004); Bobby Abreu (NL, 2004); Jason Varitek (AL, 2003); Geoff Jenkins (NL, 2003); Johnny Damon (AL, 2002); and Andruw Jones (NL, 2002).
The 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT)/7:00 p.m. (CDT).
Source: MLB.com
All-Star Game Sprint online ballot on MLB.com caps record-setting fan balloting program
Fan balloting for the 16 elected starting position players in the 80th All-Star Game, to be played Tuesday, July 14 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, came to a record-setting finish last night with the conclusion of the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot on MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball.
Overall during the All-Star Game Sprint Online Balloting program, 223.5 million votes from 17.8 million ballots were cast at MLB.com and the 30 individual Club sites. Both figures are the largest figures recorded in the nine years of online balloting at MLB.com, surpassing the previous records established in 2008.
The American and National League All-Star Teams will be unveiled on the 2009 MLB All-Star Selection Show presented by Pepsi, televised nationally on TBS at 1 p.m. (EDT). MLB.com will provide comprehensive coverage of the All-Star Teams, including high quality video and details of every All-Star, immediately following the announcement. MLB Network will air a special MLB Tonight All-Star Edition, simulcast on MLB.com, at 6 p.m. (EDT) with expert analysis and a look at the players on the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote ballot.
Also after the conclusion of the show, fans will once again select the final player for each League’s 33-man roster via the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote exclusively online at MLB.com. Fans will also be able to cast votes by text exclusively on Sprint capable phones. Standard text rates apply.
The 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote will provide fans the opportunity to cast their votes from two lists of five players, one from each League, over a four-day period. American League All-Star manager Joe Maddon of the Tampa Bay Rays and National League All-Star manager Charlie Manuel of the Philadelphia Phillies each will designate five players who will be the candidates for the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote. Balloting will continue until 4 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, July 9. The winners will be announced exclusively on MLB.com shortly after the balloting closes.
Source: MLB.com
2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot
American League All-Star Races
Will Ian Kinsler hold off Dustin Pedroia at second base? As of the last American League update, Kinsler held a lead of fewer than 7,000 votes, but over the past 72 hours of exclusive online balloting Pedroia has received 20% more votes than Kinsler.
Will Kevin Youkilis make it four straight years for a Boston first baseman to be voted the AL starter? Mark Teixeira is making a strong bid to end the Red Sox run by garnering 17% more online votes than Youkilis over the last 72 hours in hopes of closing a 40,000 vote gap.
Can Jacoby Ellsbury leapfrog three players in the scramble to earn the final starting spot in the AL outfield? The most recent update had Josh Hamilton leading the way, but over the past 72 hours of online voting Ellsbury has received at least 16% more votes than the other three challengers — Hamilton, Torii Hunter and Carl Crawford.
National League All-Star Races
Will Yadier Molina be the first National League catcher in 17 years to be voted a hometown starter? In the latest National League update, Molina was ahead of Brian McCann by just under 400,000 votes. McCann, however, is vying to make up the ground as he has recorded nearly 30% more online votes than Molina in the last 72 hours.
Has Carlos Beltran garnered enough votes to hold off the late charges from Alfonso Soriano and Shane Victorino? Among this triumvirate battling for the final starting spot in the National League outfield, Soriano trailed Beltran in the last update, but has received 11% more online votes in the past 72 hours than the other two challengers — Beltran and Victorino.
Will hometown All-Star Albert Pujols be the National League’s top vote-getter for the third time in his career? The most recent update had Pujols less than 100,000 votes ahead of last year’s National League top vote-getter, Chase Utley. Over the past 72 hours, Pujols has tried to extend the lead with 15% more online votes than Utley.
Answers to these questions will come on Sunday, July 5, when the American and National League All-Star Teams are unveiled on the 2009 MLB All-Star Selection Show presented by Pepsi, televised nationally on TBS at 1 p.m. (EDT). MLB.com will provide comprehensive coverage of the All-Star Teams, including high quality video and details of every All-Star, immediately following the announcement. MLB Network will air a special MLB Tonight All-Star Edition, simulcast on MLB.com, at 6 p.m. (EDT) with expert analysis and a look at the players on the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote.
Source: MLB.com