Bonds edges Soriano to claim All-Star berth
SAN FRANCISCO: Controversial outfielder Barry Bonds, who is six home runs shy of breaking Hank Aaron's all-time US home run record, was elected to a starting spot in the 78th Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Fan and player voting revealed Sunday for the annual mid-season showdown between National League and American League heroes saw Bonds claim the final NL outfield starting job with 2,325,391 votes to 2,202,513 for Alfonso Soriano.
Bonds has denied accusations of doping despite links to the BALCO steroid scandal, faces a probe on possible perjury and tax charges and hears boos from fans in ballparks outside of San Francisco, site of the July 10 all-star game.
Bonds trailed Soriano by nearly 120,000 votes in balloting released last week but scored enough at the finish to edge the Dominican star of the Chicago Cubs, who will be a reserve.
The New York Mets placed three players on the starting NL lineup, with shortstop Jose Reyes and third baseman David Wright joined by outfielder Carlos Beltran. Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jnr will also join Bonds in the outfield.
Bonds will make his 14th all-star appearance while Beltran makes his third all-star start in a row. Griffey, 37, led all NL players with 2,986,818 votes. Griffey and Bonds will make their first all-star appearances since 2004.
Other NL starters include Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder, catcher Russ Martin of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley.
Fielder leads the NL with 27 homers, 11 more than Bonds, who cannot advance his quest for Aaron's mark in the exhibition showdown that decides which league will have a home-field advantage in October's best-of-seven World Series final.
NL pitchers include San Diego's Jake Peavy and Trevor Hoffman, Milwaukee's Ben Sheets and Francisco Cordero, Atlanta's John Smoltz, the Mets' Billy Wagner and two from the Dodgers, Brad Penny and Japan's Takashi Saito.
New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez led all vote recipients with 3,890,515 with teammate Derek Jeter taking the American League starting shortstop spot next to him with the second-best total, 3,199,571.
They will be joined in the AL infield by Detroit catcher Ivan Rodriguez, Boston first baseman David Ortiz and Detroit second baseman Placido Polanco. Rodriguez makes his team-best 14th all-star appearance.
Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle will start in the AL outfield along with Detroit's Magglio Ordonez and Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels.
AL pitchers include Boston's Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon, Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia, Detroit ace Justin Verlander and Minnesota's Johan Santana.
Starting pitchers for both leagues will be named next week.
AFP
(China Daily 07/03/2007 page23)
