LOS ANGELES - Shohei Ohtani on Thursday became the first player named to the National League's starting lineup for the July 14 All-Star Game after leading all Major League Baseball players in the first phase of fan voting.
Ohtani topped the fan ballot for the first time with 3,341,257 votes and will start his sixth straight All-Star Game at designated hitter.
Ernie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays will start at second base for the American League after leading all AL players with 3,232,932 votes.
Since 2022, the top vote-getters in each league after the first phase earn automatic selection as a starter in their position.
The rest of the starting lineups for the Midsummer Classic at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park will be determined in the second phase of fan voting from June 29, with the top six vote-getters among outfielders and top two in the other unfilled positions from the first phase eligible for selection.
Blue Jays slugger Kazuma Okamoto led the fan vote for third baseman in the AL and is in contention to follow in the footsteps of Japanese compatriots Hideo Nomo and Ichiro Suzuki by appearing in the All-Star Game during his MLB rookie season.
Ohtani could also be in line to take the mound for the NL. All-Star pitchers are chosen through player voting and selections by the MLB Commissioner's Office.
The two-way superstar was elected to the AL All-Star team as both a DH and a pitcher for three straight years from 2021 to 2023 while a member of the Los Angeles Angels.
