Dodgers All-Star lineup record quest fizzles in

Poised to set a record for participant recognition and elite manufacturing, the Dodgers had eight finalists for the National League beginning lineup in the 2025 All-Star Game as voted by followers.

Voters had 48 hours to select between the 2 gamers at each place who had amassed probably the most votes over the final month in what MLB known as Phase 1. Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani already was in the beginning lineup because he led NL gamers in Phase 1 votes.

Who in Blue would be part of him after Phase 2?

MLB introduced the winners Wednesday afternoon, and Dodgers catcher Will Smith and first baseman Freddie Freeman will begin along with Ohtani. The different 5 Dodgers finalists — second baseman Tommy Edman, shortstop Mookie Betts, third baseman Max Muncy and outfielders Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages — have been outvoted and gained’t begin.

The record of 5 beginning gamers held by the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, the 1956 and 1957 Cincinnati Redlegs, and the 1939 New York Yankees still stands. The Dodgers fell short, despite the bevy of finalists.

It is the ninth All-Star berth for Freeman, who is batting .308 with 21 doubles, and the third for Smith, who leads the NL with a .320 batting average and .419 on-base proportion. Both gamers have 10 home runs.

Eleven-time All-Star Mike Trout was the only Angels participant among the American League finalists, and he didn’t end among the highest three outfielders in Phase 2. Thousand Oaks High product and Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson was voted the AL starter at shortstop, beating out Bobby Witt Jr.

Finalists not voted as starters have no guarantee of making the All-Star Game as a reserve. Pitchers and reserves for the 32-man rosters will probably be decided by a vote of MLB gamers and the commissioner’s workplace.

Complete rosters of 20 place gamers and 12 pitchers will probably be introduced at 2 p.m. PDT Sunday on ESPN. The All-Star Game will happen July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta. Managers Dave Roberts of the Dodgers and Aaron Boone of the Yankees have no say in the picks.

Before the Dodgers confronted the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night time, Roberts did say he hoped the quantity of All-Stars from his staff would increase.

“I think they’ve all had great first halves, and it’s great to know that three guys are starting,” he stated. “And so hopefully we get a couple, two or three more. Really, good, really good.”

The groups that boasted a record 5 starters included Hall of Famers and also lesser-known gamers.

The ’39 Yankees had All-Star starters Joe DiMaggio, George Selkirk, Bill Dickey, Red Rolfe and Joe Gordon. Red Ruffing was named the beginning pitcher by supervisor Joe McCarthy, making the ’39 Yankees the only staff with six beginning gamers.

The most up-to-date staff to land 5 All-Star starters was the ’76 Cincinnati Reds, recognized as the Big Red Machine, led by future Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan. Pete Rose, Dave Concepción and George Foster also began.

The Reds have been known as the Redlegs from 1953 to 1959 because of a period of intense anti-communism in the U.S. To distance themselves from the Red Scare, the Reds briefly modified their identify.

Cincinnati followers beloved their staff by any identify, casting a deluge of last-minute votes two years in a row that finally required intervention from MLB commissioner Ford Frick and prompted MLB to get rid of fan voting for more than a decade.

Frick stood by the voting in ’56 despite complaints that 5 Redlegs have been voted in, saying, “Everybody had a chance to vote, so there should be no squawks.”

A 12 months later he modified his tune when last-minute voting — bear in mind, all votes have been handwritten and manually tabulated — resulted in an all-Redlegs lineup. Frick swiftly stepped in and changed three Redlegs with future Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.

Redlegs followers have been incensed, some making an effigy of the commissioner and driving it through Cincinnati tied to a truck. The response from gamers was more muted, with Redlegs middle fielder Gus Bell saying, “I’m not exactly burned up about being replaced by Willie.”

Dodgers who completed second seemingly may have little quarrel with the outcomes. Players who edged them out in voting are having glorious seasons: third baseman Manny Machado, shortstop Francisco Lindor, second baseman Ketel Marte and outfielders Ronald Acuña Jr., Kyle Tucker and Harvard-Westlake High product Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-6, 2.51 earned-run average) of the Dodgers is a sturdy candidate to make the NL pitching employees. At least one Angels participant should be chosen as a reserve or pitcher, and the nod may go to Trout, who has 13 home runs but is batting .230.

Other prospects for the resurgent Angels are catcher Logan O’Hoppe (17 home runs), shortstop Zach Neto (12 home runs, team-high 2.7 WAR), outfielder Jo Adell (18 homers, 44 runs batted in) and beginning pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (2.79 ERA in 96.2 innings).

MLB All-Star Starting Lineups

National League
C: Will Smith, Dodgers
1B: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
2B: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
SS: Francisco Lindor, Mets
3B: Manny Machado, Padres
OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs
OF: Kyle Tucker, Cubs
OF: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

American League
C: Cal Raleigh, Mariners
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
2B: Gleyber Torres, Tigers
SS: Jacob Wilson, Athletics
3B: Jose Ramirez, Guardians
OF: Aaron Judge, Yankees
OF: Riley Greene, Tigers
OF: Javier Baez, Tigers
DH: Ryan O’Hearn, Orioles

Times employees author Kevin Baxter contributed to this story.