Delgado takes the lead at first in American League
All-Star voting
Source: Major League Baseball
 June
12, 2003 -- First baseman Carlos Delgado of the Toronto Blue Jays has moved past Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees in balloting results for the 74th All-Star Game, to be played Tuesday, July 15 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, it was announced today.
For the first time, the outcome of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will impact postseason play, as the winning League in this year's All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the 2003 World Series.
Delgado, who was second to Giambi a week ago, has collected 299,219 votes to take a slim lead over the Yankees' first baseman and, if elected, he would become the second Toronto first baseman elected to start the All-Star Game, joining John Olerud (1993). The 30-year-old Delgado is currently batting .325 and leads all Major League hitters with 19 home runs and 67 RBI.
Other American League position leaders are: Catcher Jorge Posada (439,472) of the New York Yankees; Third Baseman Troy Glaus (230,167) of the Anaheim Angels; Shortstop Alex Rodriguez (452,627) of the Texas Rangers; Designated Hitter Edgar Martinez (355,493) of the Seattle Mariners; and Outfielders Ichiro Suzuki (418,925) of the Mariners, Manny Ramirez (333,154) of the Boston Red Sox, and Torii Hunter (275,158) of the Minnesota Twins. Second Baseman Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees continues to lead all American League players with 572,156 votes.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Balloting Program, the largest in professional sports, encompasses RadioShack In-Stadium Balloting at the 30 Major League ballparks and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico; Topps Online All-Star Balloting powered by Nexl at the Official Website of Major League Baseball (www.MLB.com); Pepsi Retail Balloting at Subway Restaurants and Albertsons grocery stores; and International Retail Balloting throughout Puerto Rico, Canada, Japan and the Dominican Republic.
While the fan balloting program will determine the eight starting position players in each league and the Designated Hitter in the American League, a separate ballot of managers, coaches, and players (the Player Ballot) will be conducted by Major League Baseball during the final week of fan balloting to select an additional nine position players in the AL, eight position players in the National League, and eight pitchers in each league.
The two All-Star Team managers -- Mike Scioscia of the Anaheim Angels and Dusty Baker of the Chicago Cubs -- and Major League Baseball will select the final five AL spots (four pitchers and one position player) and seven NL spots (four pitchers and three position players).
Following the conclusion of voting and the announcement of the starters, pitchers and reserves, fans will have the opportunity to select the final position player for each league's 32-man roster at MLB.com. The "etopps All-Star Final Vote" recorded more than three million votes in the two-day voting period for last years inaugural program.
The 74th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pre-game ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). ESPN Radio will provide exclusive, national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage and MLB.com Radio will provide exclusive play-by-play coverage of the game on the Internet.
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