Homer Leader Yelich Voted Among MLB All-Star Game Starters

New York, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jun, 2019 ) :Season home run leader Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers was among the starters elected in fan balloting announced Thursday for next month's 90th Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

The annual showdown between stars from the National League and American League will be staged July 9 at Cleveland, with the American Leaguers leading the all-time rivalry 44-43 with two drawn.

All-Star voting was changed this year with main balloting from May 28-June 21 to decide three finalists at infield spots and nine finalists for three outfielder berths on each squad. Fans were then given 28 hours for online voting among finalists, a span ending on Thursday afternoon.

Pitchers and reserve players for each team will be announced on Sunday.

Yelich, a rightfielder who tops the major leagues with 29 homers, led all National League vote-getters and outfielders with 22.3 percent of votes with Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers, leading the majors with a .354 batting average and third in homers with 26, next at 21.0 percent and Atlanta's Ronald Acuna taking the last starting spot with 15.0 percent of votes.

National League infield starters and their winning vote percentage included Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras (44.6 percent), Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman (38.5), Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte (39.2), Cubs shortstop Javier Baez (43.

3) and Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado (51.9).

Contreras becomes the first Cubs catcher to make consecutive All-Star Game starts since Gabby Hartnett in 1936-37.

Freeman, who edged Pittsburgh's Josh Bell by 1.1 percent in the second-tightest vote, becomes the first Atlanta first baseman to make consecutive All-Star starts since Fred McGriff in 1995-96.

Arenado makes his third consecutive All-Star start.

"Sometimes you get a little frustrated," Arenado said. "But to see the fans appreciate my game, it means a lot." American League infield starters include New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez (47.1), Cleveland first baseman Carlos Santana (49.2), Yankees second baseman D.J. LeMahieu (38.0), Minnesota shortstop Jorge Polanco (42.0) and Houston third baseman Alex Bregman (49.1).

It's the first All-Star Game appearance for Santana, Cleveland's first All-Star starter since Jim Thome in 1999, and Polanco.

Hunter Pence of the Texas Rangers won voting for the designated hitter spot, used only in the American League in place of pitchers swinging the bat.

AL outfield starters include Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, the top overall vote-getter with 25.5 percent of the outfielder votes, and Houston's George Springer (15.7) and Michael Brantley (10.8), who edged Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (9.9) in the tighest vote for any All-Star spot.