Four, maybe five, Phillies all-stars

TORONTO - Never before could the Phillies boast three all-star pitchers in one season. But this franchise has never amassed the cadre of arms these Phillies possess.

"That's kind of what they envisioned when they put us all together," Cole Hamels said.

Three-fifths of the dream rotation crafted this winter was selected Sunday to the National League's team: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Hamels. Additionally, Placido Polanco was voted in by fans as the team's starting third baseman.

Phillies fans also have a chance to vote in another player. Shane Victorino is one of five candidates on the "Final Vote" ballot. Voting lasts at MLB.com until 4 p.m. Thursday.

"It's awesome," Hamels said. "It shows the caliber of player we have on our team."

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. All three pitchers were selected in the players' vote: Halladay finished first, Hamels third, and Lee fifth.

"It says a lot about our staff," Victorino said. "It says a lot about why we are where we are as a team. People keep talking about our pitching. Those three guys are well-deserving of being recognized as all-stars. But to see three guys from the team, you rarely see three guys from the same rotation make it."

Halladay, 11-3 with a 2.44 ERA, is a candidate to start the game for the National League. The decision for Giants manager Bruce Bochy, the NL skipper, likely comes down to Halladay or 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 32 fewer innings than Halladay. This is Halladay's eighth selection to an all-star team.

Lee, who had a 34-inning scoreless streak snapped Sunday, 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 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. Hamels will still earn a $50,000 bonus as well.

Polanco defeated Chipper Jones in the fan balloting at third base by 1,561,123 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 an American League second baseman with the Tigers in 2007.

"Around last week my wife said, 'We need to know if we should buy tickets,' " Polanco said. "I told her I didn't know. She's like, 'Well, it seems like you're going because you have a lot of votes.' "

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 a .515 slugging percentage. That ranks fifth among outfielders.

He was also on the Final Vote ballot in 2009, and won. This time, he's competing against Arizona's Ian Kennedy, Washington's Michael Morse, Los Angeles' Andre Ethier, and Colorado's Todd Helton.

Bochy used three of his nine selections as manager on his own pitchers: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Ryan Vogelsong. Vogelsong, the Octorara High and Kutztown graduate, was cut by the Phillies midway through last season. He has a 2.13 ERA in 13 starts.

It's a nice story that hardly matters to the Phillies because they have their own collection of all-star aces.

"Good things are obviously happening," Hamels said. "The excitement is there."