David Robertson named as candidate for final American League All-Star roster
Fans encouraged to vote for Robertson at yankees.com and tweet
On Saturday, Yankees reliever David Robertson was named as one of five candidates for MLB's "Final Vote," which will decide who receives the final American League All-Star roster spot by virtue of online fan balloting at yankees.com.
In a nod to his old-school style of wearing his socks high and showing them off, Robertson's social media campaign has been given the hashtag of #HighSocksForVotes. The hashtag is also a play on the name of Robertson's nonprofit charitable organization "High Socks for Hope," which he and his wife, Erin, founded after tornadoes ravaged his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2011.
The online polls are open from now through Thursday, July 11, at 4:00 p.m. Any fans who vote for Robertson will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes for a meet-and-greet with Robertson along with free tickets to a Yankees game.
With a full slate of home games until the vote concludes, the Yankees strongly encourage fans to show their support for Robertson by wearing their own "high socks" to Yankee Stadium. The Yankees official Twitter account @Yankees will retweet photos of fans proudly displaying their "high socks" like Robertson.
Fans should note that beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday - the final day of voting - all tweets that include Robertson's official hashtag of #HighSocksForVotes will count as a valid vote for the Yankees reliever.
"I feel excited and hopeful that I'll be selected to go to my second All-Star Game," Robertson said. "I know there are four other guys in the mix, but hopefully I can get enough votes. To be able to sit alongside Mariano in that bullpen in his final All-Star Game appearance would be an awfully special moment in my career. Yankees fans are the best, and I know that they will make every effort to send me to Queens."
Robertson has made one prior AL All-Star team, tossing 1.0 scoreless inning (1H, 1K) in the 2011 Midsummer Classic in Arizona.
In 2013, Robertson is 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA (35.1IP, 9ER), having allowed just 23 hits and 12 walks with 45 strikeouts. He was originally drafted by the Yankees in the 17th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Alabama.