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Braun to start in All-Star Game; Sheets lands berth
Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun on Sunday was named a starter for the National League in the All-Star Game, which will be held July 15 at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
Braun made a surprising surge in fan balloting, finishing first among NL outfielders and second among all NL players with 3,835,840 votes, behind only Chase Utley of the Phillies (3,889,602). Just two days before the voting closed on Wednesday, he wasn't even in line for a starting spot.
Also, Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets was named to the NL staff based on a vote by his peers. He will make his second straight appearance and fourth overall and is in the running for the starting job, a decision that rests with NL manager Clint Hurdle of the Colorado Rockies.
Shortstop J.J. Hardy was No. 2 in fan voting behind Florida's Hanley Ramirez for a starting spot, but was not a choice of the players.
But Milwaukee still has a chance at a third representative.
Outfielder Corey Hart is a candidate in the "Final Vote" campaign that allows fans to select the last member of both the NL and American League squads. The competition for Hart includes ex-Brewer Carlos Lee of the Astros, Aaron Rowand of the Giants and David Wright of the Mets.
Voting closes Thursday at 5 p.m.
Braun came into Sunday's game against the Pirates hitting .279 with 20 homers and 58 RBIs. He hit a homer in the first inning just before the team was announced.
Sheets is 10-2 with a 2.77 ERA -- third in the NL -- in 17 starts this season.
The announcement of Braun as a starter -- which was made on mlb.com and in a televised show on TBS -- comes as somewhat of a surprise, because Braun was in fourth place in the most recent balloting numbers that were released.
Also, the New York Post errantly reported on its Web site Saturday that Braun had fallen short of a starting spot. The report was later retracted, as noted early Sunday by The Capital Times in a blog post. Notably, the Post had every selection right except for Braun.
Braun was 32,925 short of Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome for the third and final starting outfield spot heading into the final two days of balloting.
He made up that deficit and then some even though the Brewers were on the road on Tuesday and Wednesday, when the polls closed.
That push was the product of an orchestrated effort by the Brewers that included a computer kiosk at Summerfest and a viral e-mail effort circulated by fans. According to an article on mlb.com on Wednesday, Braun had received 41 percent more online votes than Fukudome over the final 48 hours.
The loser in this game of musical chairs was future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who had been No. 2 in fan voting. He was surpassed by Fukudome, who is in his first year in the majors after coming over from Japan, and Braun.
However, the other elected NL outfielder is Alfonso Soriano, who has been sidelined by a broken left hand and is not expected to play. He took batting practice on Saturday but said he was still experiencing pain.
Braun will be the first Brewers outfielder to start an All-Star Game since 1999, when Jeromy Burnitz replaced an injured Tony Gwynn at Fenway Park.
He is one of seven first-time starters in the Midsummer Classic.
In the NL, that group includes a pair of Cubs, catcher Geovany Soto and Fukudome, as well as the Marlins' Ramirez.
Three AL players were elected for the first time: Kevin Youkilis of the Red Sox at first, Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox at second and Josh Hamilton of the Rangers in the outfield.
The Cubs pace the NL with three starters -- the first time that's happened since 1937, according to mlb.com. They have seven representatives in all for the first time in club history. The others are third baseman Aramis Ramirez, and pitchers Ryan Dempster, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano.
The Red Sox have an AL-best four starters.
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was the top overall vote-getter for the second straight year, with 3,934,518 votes. Phillies second baseman Chase Utley paced the NL with 3,889,602 votes.
The Tampa Bay Rays, with the best record in the majors, did not have a single player elected to start.
The league that wins the All-Star game will get home-field advantage in the World Series. Not counting the infamous tie at Miller Park in Milwaukee in 2002, the AL has won 10 straight, with its last loss coming in 1996 at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, a facility that no longer exists.
Here are the starting lineups, as elected by fans:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Catcher -- Joe Mauer,
Twins
First base -- Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
Second base -- Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
Third base -- Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
Shortstop -- Derek Jeter, Yankees
Outfield -- Manny Ramirez, Red Sox
Outfield -- Josh Hamilton, Rangers
Outfield -- Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
Designated hitter -- *David Ortiz, Red Sox
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Catcher -- Geovany Soto,
Cubs
First base -- Lance Berkman, Astros
Second base -- Chase Utley, Phillies
Third base -- Chipper Jones, Braves
Shortstop -- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Outfield -- Alfonso Soriano, Cubs
Outfield -- Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs
Outfield -- Ryan Braun, Brewers
* - injured, will be replaced by Milton Bradley, Rangers
Note: Boston's Terry Francona will manage the AL and Colorado's Clint Hurdle the NL. Each manager chooses his pitching staffs and reserves.
Associated Press
Ryan Braun not only carries a big bat for the Brewers, but has yet to commit an error in his first season as an outfielder.
