Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria mishandles a ball hit by Cleveland Indians' Ben Francisco in the first inning of their American League MLB baseball game in Cleveland, Ohio July 10, 2008.
(REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk)
Fans select Longoria, Hart to All-Star game
Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria mishandles a ball hit by Cleveland Indians' Ben Francisco in the first inning of their American League MLB baseball game in Cleveland, Ohio July 10, 2008.
(REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart have been selected by the fans to the final roster positions for Major League Baseball's All-Star Game next Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
The 32nd, and final, spot for each team was awarded through fan voting via the Internet. Voting opened last Sunday and closed on Thursday at 1700 EST.
The 22-year-old Longoria, a rookie, garnered nine million votes, just beating Chicago White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye to the final spot on the American League team, Major League Baseball said on their website (http://mlb.mlb.com) on Thursday.
New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi finished third.
The 26-year-old Hart, who is in his second full season with the Brewers, received eight million votes and narrowly beat New York Mets third baseman David Wright, who has been an All-Star for the past two years, to fill out the National League roster.
The game will be held for the final time at the original Yankee Stadium, which was opened in 1923, before the team moves next year to a new stadium across the street.
(Reporting by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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