New York (AFP) – New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge and Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper were named to starting spots in next month’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game after fan voting’s first phase.
Judge led American League vote-getters and all MLB players with 3,425,309 votes while first baseman Harper led all National League players with 3,277,920.
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The annual contest between elite AL and NL squads will be played July 16 at Arlington, Texas.
Judge, a 32-year-old outfielder, is a fan-selected starter for the sixth time in as many All-Star appearances.
The Yankees star became the first MLB player to reach 30 home runs this season on Wednesday, the third time he has hit so many before the all-star break, and his 77 runs batted in also leads MLB.
This marks the eighth MLB All-Star selection and sixth All-Star start for Harper, but would be the first time he plays in the contest since 2018.
His only selection in the past five seasons due largely to injuries was in 2022, when he was sidelined by a fractured left thumb.
The two-time NL Most Valuable Player is batting .305 with 20 homers and 57 runs batted in.
The second phase of MLB All-Star voting, which decides the remaining All-Star starters, runs from Sunday through Wednesday.
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