Four Phillies are All-Stars with room for another
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Four Phillies are All-Stars with room for another
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
TORONTO -- For the first time in franchise history, the Phillies have three All-Star pitchers.
Three-fifths of the dream rotation crafted this winter was selected to the National League's team in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. In addition, Placido Polanco was voted in by fans as the team's starting third baseman.
And now Phillies fans will have a chance to vote another player in. Shane Victorino is one of five candidates on the Final Vote ballot. Voting lasts at MLB.com until 4 p.m. on Thursday.
The last time the Phillies had two pitchers selected to the All-Star Game was 1999 when Curt Schilling and Paul Byrd went. Never before have three gone, let alone three starters.
Halladay, 11-3 with a 2.44 ERA is a candidate to start the game for the National League. The decision for Bruce Bochy, manager of the team, likely comes down to Halladay and Braves righty Jair Jurrjens. The 25-year-old Jurrjens is also 11-3 with a major-league leading 1.89 ERA, but he has pitched 30 fewer innings than Halladay. This is Halladay's eighth selection to an All-Star team.
Lee, who has a 32-inning scoreless streak entering Sunday's start, was selected as an All-Star for the third time in his career. Lee receives a $50,000 bonus for his selection.
Hamels has been an All-Star just once before, in 2007. He will likely need to be replaced on this season's roster because he could pitch on the final Sunday before the all-star break. Major League Baseball enacted a rule last season that prohibits Sunday starters from appearing in the All-Star Game.
Polanco defeated Chipper Jones in the fan balloting at third base by more than a million votes despite hitting just .223 since May 1. Polanco has played a steady third base defensively while back issues have affected his swing. It's the second time Polanco is an All-Star; he was also voted in as American League second baseman in 2007.
Victorino has a great chance at earning a bid, too. He leads the Phillies in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He entered Sunday ninth in the National League with that .515 slugging percentage. Among outfielders that ranks fifth.
He was also on the Final Vote ballot in 2009 and won.
Bochy, the Giants' manager and NL skipper, picked three of his own pitchers: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong. Vogelsong, the Octorara and Kutztown grad, was cut by the Phillies midway through last season. He has a 2.09 ERA in 12 starts.
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Anybody out there try to vote for Shane in the final vote? When you first select him, he's listed under the National League, but when you get to the next page and actually continue to vote, where you enter the validation codes over and over to vote multiple time, his name shows up on the American League side...what's up with that? Are these votes going to be thrown out??— Elderlee- Elderlee - you have to pick an Ametican Leaguer as well to keep shane in NL...— M60tanker
- Jacoby Ellsbury made the AS as a reserve OF. Victorino has better overall numbers.— EL Zorro
Comment removed.- If the All-Star game was a few weeks later, Victorino gets named for sure...Vote for him, he deserves it.— bearsfriend
- Howard got jobbed????? Tell him to strike out 100 less times and hit for 50 points higher averge, then he can qualify to be an All Star 1st baseman.......— Mark1npt
- You fantasy girls really hold a grudge. Why don't you go get Bobby Abreu? He always hits for a higher average and doesn't strike out as much. Of course that has 0 to do with run production in actual games.— chuck49
- Isn't Lincecum just 6-6?— PhightinPhil
- clee EXPOSED.
I just read a heart warming article about the young man on this very site this morning. But by this afternoon, he was POWER SHELLED!
and that #%&@ just dont happen to DOC and KING COLE!
WOOT!
must be nice. You make 25 mil a year. u only play one game in 5. u staked to a 4 run lead against a team with a losing record, and u dont hold it. ur response is that u felt like they were decent pitches and hey, thats baseball. LIFE IS GOOD!
maybe the president and congress can generate some more jobs like that? please?
- Lincecum has All-Star hair. The bags under Wheeler's eyes are considered carry-on luggage.— Disco Dave
- Chuckles, most games Howard has nothing to do with actual run production either, hence the legitimacy of my comment.....can't you pick another example to bow down in front of, like Pujols or Fielder or Votto......the Phillies would be a vastly better team with an even better record with any of them manning 1st base.— Mark1npt
- It's really nothing more than a popularity contest...can't get mad that Bastardo and Howard didn't make it, frankly I'd rather see them get some rest...along with Jroll and Utley. I'd really like to see Polanco take a few days off, or put him on the stinking DL for 15 days so he can get healthy. He's up there taking pitches for strike 1 and 2, and then just fighting off pitches. Congrats to those who did make it, but if they don't play, wouldn't bother me a bit.— Bleue
- Lincecum made it because his coach is coaching the ASG. We know if Charlie was coaching, Bastardo probably gets in over Voglesong and another pitcher (Hanson perhaps) gets in over Timmy L.— ESFjellin
- Hamels deserves to go, but he won't go due to the rotation. Look for Bastardo to replace him— Joe Canucelli
- why would Bastardo get in? Craig Kimbrel is just a little better than him and he didn't get in.— wolfburn
