Mets captain and third baseman David Wright will start the All-Star Game for the National League at Citi Field on July 16, holding off the Giants' Pablo Sandoval — with a possible assist from the cougars — in the fan voting announced last night. Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano secured a starting spot for the AL.
"I was drafted by this team, developed by this team and a lot of players don't get an opportunity to participate in one All-Star game, much less the All-Star games I've had an opportunity to participate in and this year being at home, obviously it's special," Wright said.
Mets ace Matt Harvey was picked to his first Midsummer Classic — he will have to wait until week to learn if he is tabbed as the starting pitcher at his home park — and legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera was selected to his 13th, second-most by a pitcher behind Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, who made 17 teams.
Harvey received the most votes among NL pitchers in the player balloting, outpacing the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw.
"It's always a privilege to be part of the All-Star team," said Rivera, who has announced he will retire following this season after returning seamlessly from major knee surgery. "The fact that I went through all that adversity and am standing here now talking about All-Star Game, it's a blessing. ... It feels wonderful."
It will be the second All-Star appearance in New York for Wright, an All-Star for the seventh time, and Rivera, after the 2008 exhibition at Yankee Stadium.
"That's wonderful," Rivera said. "You don't have to travel. Ride a bus 15-20 minutes, in and out."
The final All-Star tally showed Wright beating Sandoval by 1.9 million votes. Last year Wright led Sandoval by about 460,000 votes heading into the final week, but had to settle for a backup role.
Manager Terry Collins said he and pitching coach Dan Warthen are discussing various scenarios for Harvey that hinge on what his role in the All-Star Game might be. If NL manager Bruce Bochy wants Harvey as the starter, he almost certainly wouldn't pitch the final game before the All-Star break on July 14 in Pittsburgh as scheduled.
Orioles slugger Chris Davis powered past Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers to claim the most fan votes, and Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper used a final surge to win a spot in the National League's starting lineup.
Right-hander Max Scherzer was one of a major league-best six Tigers chosen. Catcher Yadier Molina led the NL fan vote, one of the Cardinals' five All-Stars, tops in the NL.
And in the most anticipated aspect of the All-Star announcements, Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig wasn't picked — but is among five candidates for the final NL spot, with fans able to vote online through Thursday. The Cuban defector has played just one breathless month in the big leagues.
Puig is joined in the final NL five by shortstop Ian Desmond of Washington, first basemen Freddie Freeman of Atlanta, Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers, and outfielder Hunter Pence of San Francisco.
The Yankees' David Robertson is among the American League five with four fellow relievers: Detroit's Joaquin Benoit, Toronto's Steve Delabar, Texas' Tanner Scheppers, and Boston's Koji Uehara.
Davis finished with 8,272,243 fan votes to edge Cabrera, who had 8,013,874, for his first All-Star selection. Davis has 33 homers, seventh best before the break in big league history.
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