Shohei Ohtani selected for All-Star Game after leading fan vote in NL
Shohei Ohtani is officially headed back to the All-Star Game.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way superstar joined New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge as the first two players to earn nods for next month's Midsummer Classic in Atlanta after leading their respective leagues in fan voting, MLB announced Thursday.
Ohtani finished with 3,967,668 votes during the first phase of voting to lead the National League. He was second among all MLB players, trailing only Judge, who garnered 4,012,983 in the American League. They each received an automatic spot in the starting lineup and will bypass Phase 2 of the voting. Ohtani will be the NL designated hitter while Judge will get the start in the AL outfield.
Ohtani is an All-Star for the fifth consecutive season. The 30-year-old celebrated his selection by hitting his 28th home run of the year during the Dodgers' 3-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday afternoon.
The reigning NL MVP is off to a strong start in his second season with the Dodgers. Ohtani is batting .291 with a 1.025 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has 28 home runs — third among all MLB players — with 52 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.
He also returned to the mound earlier this month after missing the 2024 season as a pitcher while recovering from elbow surgery. In his second start, on Sunday against the Washington Nationals, Ohtani struck out two batters in a scoreless inning on the mound and finished with a home run and five RBIs at the plate. His next outing as a pitcher is scheduled for Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.
While he will not pitch in this year's game, the Japanese superstar was a two-way All-Star in 2021, 2022 and 2023 while with the Los Angeles Angels and remains the only player to accomplish the feat.
Ohtani, a three-time MVP in the majors, has now led both leagues in All-Star voting during his career after pacing the AL in 2023.
Judge, the reigning AL MVP, led all players in the voting for the second straight season and is now a seven-time All-Star. The Yankees star is batting .361 with 28 homers and a 1.180 OPS through 80 games.
Ohtani may not be the only player from the reigning World Series champion Dodgers, who beat Judge and the Yankees in five games in last year's Fall Classic, in the starting lineup for the NL.
The Phase 2 window of fan voting to determine the starters begins Monday, with Dodgers catcher Will Smith, first basemen Freddie Freeman, second baseman Tommy Edman, third baseman Max Muncy, shortstop Mookie Betts and outfielders Teoscar Hernandez and Andy Pages among the finalists at their positions.
Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts will manage the NL squad. The Yankees' Aaron Boone will lead the AL All-Stars.
Fans will select the starters for the game, and the reserves and pitchers will come from a combination of selections made through player ballots and the commissioner's office.
The remaining starters will be announced on July 2, and the full rosters will be unveiled on July 6.
The game takes place on July 13.
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