Chicago fans put in some serious work to ensure their players would be represented at the 2014 MLB All-Star Game in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo was named to the National League roster, while White Sox pitcher Chris Sale was added to the American League team after winning MLB’s Final Vote, which ended Thursday.
After 92 hours of voting, the Chicagoans came out on top of their respective leagues, with Rizzo receiving 8.8 million votes and Sale garnering 6.7 million.
Rizzo, who will head to the Midsummer Classic for the first time in his career, will join teammate Starlin Castro on the NL squad. The Cubs slugger is batting .280 this season with 49 RBIs, and his 20 home runs rank second in the NL. Rizzo overtook Colorado Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau on Wednesday night to earn the selection.
Sale, meanwhile, will make his third trip to the All-Star Game, where he will be joined by teammates Jose Abreu and Alexei Ramirez. The ace is 8-1 with a 2.08 ERA this season, and he was the winning pitcher in last year’s All-Star Game after tossing two perfect innings at Citi Field in New York.
Sale became the fourth White Sox player to win the fan vote, beating out Los Angeles Angels right-hander Garrett Richards, Detroit Tigers righty Rick Porcello, Cleveland Indians righty Corey Kluber and Houston Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel.
The roster news didn’t end there, though, as Angels shortstop Erick Aybar was named as an injury replacement for Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon.
Photo via Twitter/@MLB
