In a surprising turn of events, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies have been elected to start in the upcoming All-Star Game. Judge led the major leagues with an astounding 3,425,309 votes during the first round of fan balloting. This will mark Judge’s sixth American League start in seven All-Star Games, despite missing out last year due to a sprained right big toe.
Judge’s achievement is even more remarkable as he became the 11th player to lead the majors in votes on multiple occasions since fan balloting resumed in 1970. On the other hand, Harper topped the National League with 3,277,920 votes and was the second-leading vote-getter overall. This will be Harper’s eighth All-Star Game appearance, with seven of them coming as a starter.
Both Judge and Harper were selected based on the new rules introduced in 2022. These rules provide starting spots to the top vote-getters in each league during the first phase of online voting. The first phase, which began on June 5 and concluded recently, did not have any carry-over votes to the second phase. This new format has generated great excitement among fans and players alike.
The remaining starters for the All-Star Game will be announced on June 30, while pitchers and reserves will be revealed on July 7. The second phase of voting includes two finalists for every position, and fans can look forward to more intense competition as the selection process moves forward. The diversity among the finalists bodes well for an exciting All-Star Game lineup.
As the All-Star Game draws near, the fan anticipation continues to build with each passing day. Judge and Harper’s selection as starters is a testament to their popularity and performance on the field. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the roster shapes up and which players will join these two superstars in Arlington, Texas, for the highly anticipated game on July 16th.
Leave a Reply