Judge and Ohtani Set to Clash as All-Star Game Starters—Who Will Dominate the Show?

Alright, let’s dive into something that’s been buzzing around the baseball world. The July 15 All-Star Game at Atlanta’s Truist Park just got a whole lot more exciting as fans cast their votes, and guess who snagged the first starting spots? None other than the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge. Yep, these two heavy hitters emerged atop the charts this past Thursday, turning heads and setting the stage for what promises to be a can’t-miss showdown.

Now, Aaron Judge didn’t just win—he dominated, hauling in over four million votes (4,012,983 to be precise), grabbing his seventh All-Star start representing the American League in eight tries. That’s resilience, especially considering he had to sit out last year’s game with a pesky sprained right big toe. Still, the fans kept their faith, remembering his past top votes from 2022 and ‘21. Meanwhile, Ohtani led the National League pack, pulling close to four million votes (3,967,668), cementing himself as the first designated hitter ever to start in five consecutive All-Star Games. Incredible, right?

Thanks to a voting system revamped in 2022, the top vote-getter from each league in the initial online poll—running from June 4 to Thursday—earns that coveted starting spot. Meanwhile, two finalists per other position moved into the next phase, launching at noon EDT this Monday and running through July 2. Oh, and before you wonder, every fan gets only one vote every 24 hours—no ballot stuffing allowed, folks.

Stick around, because the full list of starters will drop on July 2, followed by pitchers and reserves on July 6. The Dodgers, fresh off their World Series crown, have seven players making the cut for round two, while the Cubs, Tigers, and Mets each boast three hopefuls. Closer behind, the Guardians, Yankees, and Blue Jays have two players apiece vying for a spot. If you’re itching for the finalists’ names and wanna dive a bit deeper, I’ve got you covered below. Don’t blink—this race is heating up fast!

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NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge were the first players picked for the July 15 All-Star Game at Atlanta’s Truist Park, elected as starters by fans on Thursday.

Judge led the major leagues with 4,012,983 votes in the first round of fan balloting and the outfielder was picked for his seventh American League start in eight All-Star Games, though he missed the 2023 game because of a sprained right big toe. He also was the leading vote-getter during the first phase in 2022 and last year.

Ohtani topped the NL and was second in the big leagues with 3,967,668 votes, becoming the first designated hitter to start in five straight All-Star Games.

The pair were selected under rules that began in 2022 and give starting spots to the top vote-getter in each league in the first phase of online voting, which began June 4 and ended Thursday. Two finalists at every other position advanced to the second phase, which runs from noon EDT on Monday to noon EDT on July 2. Votes from the first phase do not carry over.

An individual can vote once per 24-hour period.

Remaining starters will be announced on July 2. Pitchers and reserves will be revealed on July 6.

Seven players from the World Series champion Dodgers advanced to the second phase along with three each from the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and New York Mets, and two apiece from the Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.

AL finalists:

Catcher: Alejandro Kirk, Cal Raleigh

First base: Paul Goldschmidt, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Second Base: Jackson Holliday, Gleyber Torres

Third Base: Alex Bregman, José Ramírez

Shortstop: Jacob Wilson, Bobby Witt Jr.

Designated Hitter: Ryan O’Hearn, Ben Rice

Outfield: Javier Báez, Riley Greene, Steven Kwan, Mike Trout

NL finalists

Catcher: Carson Kelly, Will Smith

First Base: Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman

Second Base: Tommy Edman, Ketel Marte

Third Base: Manny Machado, Max Muncy

Shortstop: Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor

Outfield: Ronald Acuña Jr., Pete Crow-Armstrong, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker