Altuve elected to start 2015 All-Star Game
Third overall selection for Astros second baseman; Becomes Astros first fan-elected starter since 2008
HOUSTON, TX - Major League Baseball announced today that Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has been elected to start for the American League All-Star team at second base. This will mark the first time that Altuve has been elected to start an All-Star Game and his third All-Star selection overall (also in 2012 & 2014). The starters for the AL and NL All-Star squads were announced this evening.
Altuve reclaimed the top spot at second base in the final week of voting (ended July 2), finishing with 9,634,464 votes to beat out Kansas City's Omar Infante (8,999,117). On Monday, Altuve trailed by over 230,000 votes.
"I really appreciate everything that the fans did for me, and the whole organization putting all the things together to win the fan vote," said Altuve.
Altuve becomes the seventh player (10th time overall) in Astros history to earn a fan-elected start, and the first to do so since Houston moved to the AL for the 2013 season. He joins 2015 Hall of Fame electee Craig Biggio (1995-98) and Jeff Kent (2004) as Houston second basemen to earn a fan election and is the first Astros player elected to start by fans since first baseman Lance Berkman in 2008. The other Astros fan-elected starters: first basemen Lee May (1972) and Jeff Bagwell (1997); outfielder Cesar Cedeno (1973).
The 86th MLB All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 14th at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
Altuve, who became the first Astros player ever to win a batting title in 2014 (.341), entered today hitting .302 this season with an AL-leading 23 stolen bases. Altuve led the AL in steals last season with 56 and in hits with a club-record 225. The Astros entered today in first place in the AL West with an AL-best 48-35 record.
-ASTROS-