NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Dodgers will have three fan-elected starters in this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game, with first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith joining designated hitter Shohei Ohtani as winners in final ballot totals announced Wednesday.
The Dodgers, the reigning World Series champions, entered Wednesday atop the National League and sporting the best record in the majors at 54-32 — a half-game ahead of the American League’s Detroit Tigers (53-32).
The Tigers will have three fan-picked starters for the first time since 2007 after second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders Javier Báez and Riley Greene were voted in at their positions for the 95th edition of the MLB All-Star Game. The Midsummer Classic is set for Tuesday, July 15, at Truist Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves.
It will mark the third time the event has been hosted by Atlanta — it was at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1972 and at Turner Field in 2000 — and the fifth time it has been hosted by the franchise. The Boston Bees — the team went by that nickname in the Massachusetts city from 1936-40 — hosted the 1936 MLB All-Star Game at National League Park, while the Milwaukee Braves hosted the 1955 matchup at Milwaukee County Stadium.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs were picked for the NL outfield, along with Ronald Acuña Jr. of the host Braves. The 27-year-old Acuña, who missed nearly a year due to a torn ACL before returning to the team in late May, is an MLB All-Star for the fifth time, the latest honor in a career that includes being the 2018 NL rookie of the year and the 2023 NL MVP.