MLB All-Star Game: An overview of the rosters – Part 1
The 82nd annual Midsummer classic is all set for Tuesday, July 12. Chase Field in Phoenix will host the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which is hailed to be the biggest sporting event among all four major sports.
Like always, this year’s edition will feature the top names from the American League and the National League. The two teams have been knitted together with the aid of fan voting and the results, like the format of this year, were mesmerising.
Previously, the game could end as a tie in which case there was sheer agony witnessed among the fans. There have been two such instances in the past, in 1961 and 2002 where the game actually ended as a tie.
Bud Selig, the MLB commissioner has came up with an answer to this and to everyone’s delight, fans and media inclusive, this year’s edition cannot end as tie. We are now assured of a definitive winner!
The voting results followed the groundbreaking suit of this year’s edition as Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays bagged the highest votes ever in the history of the All-Star game. With 32.5 million votes casted this year (another record), Bautista ended
up with 7,454,753 votes beating Ken Griffey Jr.’s record in 1994 which stood at 6,069,688 votes.
This will be Bautista’s second-straight representation of the All-Star team. On his selection, Bautista said, “I can't even describe how good that feels.”
Bautista was not alone is surpassing Griffey’s record. Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees and David Ortiz of Boston Red Sox joined Bautista in crossing the record set in 1994.
The All-Star game has always been an intense encounter. The National League finally managed a win last year after spending 13 years on the receiving end. They still lead in the all-time win-loss record with 40 wins. The American league has won 38 games and
two have ended as a tie.
The National League will attempt to increase their lead over their counterparts whereas the American League will hope of the recent history favouring them. With 13 wins in 14 years, there is every chance the American League can halt the National League from
their second consecutive win.
The Major League and fans honour the top players by electing them into the All-Star game. This is the summit in any player’s career. It is more than money which is at offer in this showpiece. The pride players gain from representing their league, franchise
and country is just not imaginable. Here is an overview of the players featuring in this year’s All-Star Game.
American League:
Jose Bautista, the Toronto Blue Jays slugger will be starting for the first time this season after attracting the most votes after already being named in the All-Star team last year. Bautista rose among the ranks after his 2010 season in which he unleashed
his hitting power, ending with 54 home-runs. He has carried the hitting momentum into the current season, already registering 26 home-runs in the first half of the season and leading the Majors in home-runs. His slugging percentage of .679 and 70 walks also
top the charts. Bautista has loads of experience to back his performance. His 2600 at-bats with 140 career-home runs and 391 RBIs are a strong signal for Bautista to make his presence feel at the plate when the stars go head-to-head at Chase Field.
Continued in Part 2
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