Knuckleball specialist Tim Wakefield made his first All-Star Game in his 17th season, one of a major-league-high six Boston Red Sox players headed to Busch Stadium in St. Louis for the July 14 game.
The 42-year-old righthander is tied for the big-league lead with 10 wins.
Wakefield is the second-oldest first-time all-star after legendary righthander Satchel Paige, who was 46 (more or less) when he was on the team in 1952.
Boston's Dustin Pedroia, the reigning AL MVP, passed Texas' Ian Kinsler in a close vote at second base, and leftfielder Jason Bay also won a spot in the lineup. But while Pedroia came from behind to get the start, Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis was caught by Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira in the final voting.
Youkilis made the team anyway, along with Boston ace Josh Beckett and closer Jonathan Papelbon.
Starting for the Junior Circuit
The AL starters: Teixeira at first; Pedroia at second; Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter; Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria; outfielders Bay, Josh Hamilton of Texas, and Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle; and Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer.
Jeter was the league's leading vote-getter and will make his 10th appearance and sixth start. The American League won, 4-3, in 15 innings at Yankee Stadium last season.
Notable omissions included Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Texas righty Kevin Millwood, and L.A. Angels righthander Jered Weaver. Candidates for the last spot, to be determined by online voting at MLB.com: Kinsler, Toronto designated hitter Adam Lind, third basemen Chone Figgins of the Angels and Brandon Inge of Detroit, and Tampa Bay first baseman Carlos Pena.
Don't clean out your office - yet
Cleveland manager Eric Wedge received the so-called "kiss of death" when Indians general manager Mark Shapiro gave him a vote of confidence and said Wedge's job is safe for the rest of the season.
The Indians (33-50) are last in the AL Central.
Noteworthy
Chien-Ming Wang will be shut down until after the all-star break with a strained right shoulder, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. . . . Kansas City outfielder Coco Crisp said he would have surgery on both shoulders. He is out for the season. . . . The Royals planned to activate catcher John Buck off the 15-day disabled list today, optioning infielder Tug Hulett to triple-A Omaha. . . . The Yankees' Hideki Matsui hit his 13th homer yesterday and joined Ichiro Suzuki as the only Japanese-born players to score 500 runs. . . . Boston's David "Big Papi" Ortiz, who was hitting just .185 with just one homer at the end of May, hit his ninth homer yesterday and has hit safely in 24 of his last 29 games. . . . Seattle won two of three at Boston this weekend, the first time the Mariners have won a series at Fenway Park since 2001.
Contact staff writer Don McKee at 215-854-4611
or dmckee@phillynews.com.
This article contains information from the Associated Press.
