Fukudome and Braun in Tight Race for All-Star Game

2008 All-Star Game Chicago Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who has been among the National League’s leaders at the position since the start of balloting, is in a tight race with the surging Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers in the final weekly balloting update for the 79th All-Star Game, to be played on Tuesday, July 15th at Yankee Stadium.

Fukudome has drawn 1,783,983 votes, trailing his teammate, Alfonso Soriano (2,120,635), and the most popular player in the history of Major League Baseball All-Star Game balloting, Ken Griffey, Jr. (1,917,739) of the Cincinnati Reds, among N.L. outfielders. Braun, who was as low as 10th place among outfielders on June 3rd, has collected 1,751,058 votes, leaving him only 32,925 votes behind Fukudome. Fukudome, a longtime member of the Chunichi Dragons and the Most Valuable Player of Japan’s Central League in 2006, is batting .299 with six home runs, 33 RBI, 55 runs scored, 51 walks and a .407 on-base percentage on the season. Braun, the 2007 N.L. Rookie of the Year, is batting .287 with 20 home runs, 58 RBI, 45 runs scored and a .552 slugging percentage.

Another tight race is at shortstop, where the topsy-turvy contest between Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins and Miguel Tejada of the Houston Astros will go down to the wire. Ramirez led the race for the first two weeks before Tejada took the top spot for the ensuing pair of updates. Ramirez, the 2006 N.L. Rookie of the Year, regained the mantle last week. Ramirez, seeking his Midsummer Classic debut, has accumulated 1,483,875 votes. Tejada, a four-time A.L. All-Star, has drawn 1,315,240 votes. Ramirez is batting .294 with 18 home runs, 35 RBI, 69 runs scored and 20 stolen bases, while Tejada is hitting .287 with 10 home runs, 43 RBI and 56 runs scored.

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley continues to be Major League Baseball’s leading overall vote-getter with 2,645,027 votes. Other position leaders are first baseman Lance Berkman (2,132,663) of the Astros; Major League Baseball’s leading hitter, third baseman Chipper Jones (2,433,753) of the Atlanta Braves; and Cubs rookie catcher Geovany Soto (1,827,279).

The American League All-Star Team will have nine starters elected via the fan balloting program, while the National League All-Star Team will have eight fan-elected starters. The pitchers and reserves for both squads – 23 for the N.L., 22 for the A.L. – will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the two All-Star managers – American League skipper Terry Francona of the Boston Red Sox and National League manager Clint Hurdle of the Colorado Rockies – in conjunction with Major League Baseball.

Immediately following the announcement of the A.L. and N.L. All-Star rosters, fans will have the opportunity to select the final player for each League's 32-man roster at MLB.com. The Monster 2008 All-Star Final Vote will provide fans the opportunity to cast their votes from a list of five players from each League over a four-day period. For the fourth year, fans will be able to vote for their Final Vote selections on their mobile phone. Both winners of the Monster All-Star Final Vote will be announced after the voting has concluded on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, fans once again will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the 79th All-Star Game’s Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet via the Monster All-Star Game MVP Vote on MLB.com.

The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, being held at Yankee Stadium in its final season, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage that will also be available on XM Satellite Radio, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage. The All-Star Game will determine home-field advantage in the 2008 World Series.