MLB cancels more than 60 million All-Star votes

Major League Baseball cancels over 60 million votes for next month’s All-Star Game, citing a fear of improper voting

SI Wire | Jun 19, 2015

MLB cancels more than 60 million All-Star votes /

Major League Baseball says it has canceled more than 60 million votes for next month’s All-Star Game, citing a fear of improper voting.

Fans are allowed to vote up to 35 times for the game, which will be played July 14 at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

MLB grew concerned when the latest results in the American League voting showed that the top vote-getters in eight of the nine positions belong to members of the Kansas City Royals.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder and reigning AL Most Valuable Player Mike Trout is the only non-Royal who is currently projected to start the game.

The last time at least seven players were elected from one team to play in the All-Star Game was 1957, when the Cincinnati Reds littered the National League ballot for the game in St. Louis. Two Reds outfielders voted to start the game were replaced by MLB commissioner Ford Frick.

Fixing the AL's All-Royals All-Star team: Vote for these players instead

Projected starters include Kansas City second baseman Omar Infante, who is batting .228 this season, with a .547 OPS that is second-to-last among all qualified hitters in baseball.

The league cancels about 20 percent of all ballots for the game each season.

"I'm not saying we bat 1.000," MLB CEO of Advanced Media Bob Bowman said to Yahoo! Sports. "But it's between 60 and 65 million votes that have been canceled. We don't really trumpet it because if someone thinks they're getting away with it, they'll try to again."

"We scrubbed these first set of numbers incredibly thoroughly," Bowman added. "We said, 'Can this possibly be right? Look at all these votes for Kansas City.' It just didn't turn out that way."

Walk-off Home Runs in 2015

Chris Davis | Sept. 2

Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles is greeted as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run during the 11th inning to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 on Sept. 2. Here are the other players who've gone yard this year to end a game.

Brandon Moss | Sept. 1

Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Brandon Moss of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases after hitting a walk-off, three-run home run in the ninth inning against Washington Nationals pitcher Casey Janssen on Sept. 1. The Cardinals won 8-5.

Ryan Goins | Sept. 1

Ryan Goins of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates his two-run, walk-off homer against the Cleveland Indians. Toronto won 5-3 in 10 innings.

Kris Bryant | Aug. 24

Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs watches his walk-off shot against the Cleveland Indians, which came with two out in the ninth inning. The Cubs beat the Indians 2-1.

Jason Castro | Aug. 23

Jason Castro is greeted by teammates after his walk-off home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the tenth inning gave the Astros a 3-2 victory on Aug. 23.

Starling Marte | Aug. 22

Pittsburgh left fielder Starling Marte is mobbed by his teammates after hitting a walk-off home run in the ninth inning to give the Pirates a 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 22.

Henry Urrutia | Aug. 19

Herny Urrutia gave the Baltimore Orioles their third walk-off home run in six days with a solo shot off the New York Mets in the ninth inning on Aug. 19.

Marwin Gonzalez | Aug. 18

On a night in which he made his first start of the season in left field, Marwin Gonzalez delivered a walk-off home run in the 10th inning on Aug. 18 to give Houston a 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay.

Cameron Maybin | Aug. 16

Cameron Maybin hit a solo home run in the 10th inning on Aug. 16 to give the Atlanta Braves a 2-1 walk-off win over Arizona.

Chris Davis | Aug. 15

Chris Davis delivered a walk-off home run in the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 15 to give the Baltimore Orioles a 4-3 win—their second walk-off victory in as many nights.

Manny Machado | Aug. 14

Manny Machado hit a two RBI walk off home run against the Oakland Athletics in the 13th inning on Aug. 14 to give the Baltimore Orioles an 8-6 win.

Manny Machado | Aug. 14

Manny Machado is sprayed with water by teammate Jonathan Schoop after hitting a walk off home run.

Miguel Montero | Aug. 12

Miguel Montero blasted a solo home run in the 10th inning of an Aug. 12 game to give the Cubs a walk-off, 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Ian Kinsler | Aug. 6

Ian Kinsler connected on this two-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning to give Detroit an 8-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 6.

Ian Kinsler | Aug. 6

Ian Kinsler celebrates with Justin Verlander(35) Jose Iglesias (1), first base coach Omar Vizquel (15), Anthony Gose (12) and Victor Martinez (41) after his walk-off home run.

Michael McKenry | Aug. 5

Michael McKenry watches his game-winning two-run home run off the Seattle Mariners give the Colorado Rockies a 7-5 win in 11 innings on Aug. 5.

Adonis Garcia | Aug. 3

Adonis Garcia hit a two-run walk-off homer in the 12th inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 9-8 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 3.

Adonis Garcia | Aug. 3

Adonis Garcia (24) is mobbed by teammates after hitting a game winning, two-run home run in the 12th inning against the San Francisco Giants at Turner Field.

Andre Ethier | Aug. 2

Andre Ethier watches his two-run home run leave the stadium in the 10th inning to give the Dodgers a 5-3 victory over the Angels.

Andre Ethier | Aug. 2

Members of the Los Angeles Dodgers wait at home plate for Andre Ethier, left, after Ethier hit a two-run home run in the 10th inning to give L.A. a 5-3 victory over the Angels on Aug. 2.

Adeiny Hechavarria | Aug. 2

Adeiny Hechavarria of the Miami Marlins hit a three-run walk-off home run to give the Marlins a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Aug. 2.

Wilber Flores | July 31

A few days after sobbing while positioned in the field and thinking he had been traded from the Mets, Wilber Flores belted a solo homer in the 12th inning to give New York a 2-1 win over the Washington Nationals on July 31.

Jason Castro | July 30

Jason Castro hit a three-run homer with two out in the ninth inning to give the Houston Astros a 3-0 victory and a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on July 30.

Kris Bryant | July 27

With his team trailing by a run with two out in the ninth inning of a July 27 game against Colorado, Kris Bryant hit this two-run homer to lift the Cubs to a 9-8 victory.

Matt Wieters | July 27

Matt Wieters belted a solo shot in the 11th inning of a 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on July 27.

Franklin Guiterrez | July 26

Seattle's Franklin Gutierrez gave the Mariners a 6-5 win with this 10-inning solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 26.

Jose Altuve | July 23

Bob Levey/Getty Images; Juan DeLeon/Icon Sportswire (inset)

Jose Altuve delivered a solo shot in the ninth inning on July 23 to give the Houston Astros a 5-4 victory over Boston.

Jeff Francoeur | July 19

Philadelphia's Jeff Francoeur two-run shot on July 19 gave the Phillies an 8-7 victory over the Miami Marlins.

Mike Trout | July 17

Mike Trout powered the Los Angeles Angels to a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox with a solo home run in the ninth inning on July 17.

Andrew McCutchen | July 11

Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer in the 14th inning on a July 11 game to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 6-5 win over the St Louis Cardinals.

Johnathan Schoop | July 10

Rob Carr/Getty Images; Patrick Semansky/AP (inset)

Jonathan Schoop's first career walk-off hit, a solo home run in the ninth inning, gave the Baltimore Orioles a 3-2 win over the Washington Nationals on July 10.

Brian Dozier | July 10

Brian Dozier leaps into the air as teammates wait to congratulate him on a walk-off, three-run home run in the ninth inning that gave Minnesota an 8-6 victory over Detroit on July 10. The Twins scored seven runs in the ninth inning to erase a 6-1 deficit.

Adam Eaton | July 8

Adam Eaton of the Chicago White Sox hit a solo shot in the 11th inning on July 8 to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6.

Paulo Orlando | July 7

Kansas City's Paulo Orlando grand slam in the ninth inning gave the Royals a 9-5 victory over Tampa Bay on July 7.

Brian Dozier | July 6

Brian Dozier drilled a two-run homer during the 10th inning of a July 6 game at Target Field in Minneapolis to lift the Twins over the Orioles 4-2.

Brian McCann | July 3

Julie Jacobson/AP; Mike Stobe/Getty Images (inset)

Brian McCann hit a three-run homer in the 12th inning on July 3 to give the New York Yankees a 7-5 walk-off victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Justin Bour | July 1

Wilfredo Lee)/AP; David Santiago/El Nuevo Herald/TNS via Getty Images

Justin Bour gave the Miami Marlins a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants with this three-run homer on July 1 at Marlins Park.

James McCann | June 28

James McCann's solo shot off White Sox relief pitcher Zach Putnam gave the Detroit Tigers a 5-4 win in the ninth inning of a June 28 game.

Gordon Beckham | June 21

Jon Durr/Getty Images (left); Matt Marton/AP

Gordon Beckham hit an 11th inning, solo home run on June 21 to give the Chicago White Sox a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on June 21.

Kenny Vargas | June 18

Hannah Foslien/Getty; Jim Mone/AP (nset)

Kenny Vargas hit a solo home run against St. Louis in the ninth inning on June 18 to give the Minnesota Twins a 2-1 victory.

Todd Frazier | June 18

Todd Frazier hit a game-winning grand slam in the 13th inning against the Detroit Tigers to give the Cincinnati Reds an 8-4 victory in the wee hours of June 18.

Robinson Chirinos | June 16

Robinson Chirinos lifted a ninth-inning shot out of Globe Life Park on June 16 to seal a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Edwin Encarnacion | June 9

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images (left); Kevin Sousa/Icon Sportswire (right)

Edwin Encarnacion's two-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning on June 9 gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 victory over the Miami Marlins.

Christian Bethancourt | June 6

Christian Bethancourt lifted the Atlanta Braves to a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 6 with his walk-off home run in the ninth inning.

Martin Maldonado | May 31

Jeffrey Phelps/AP; Mike McGinnis/Getty Images (inset)

In a game that went 17 innings, Martin Maldonado delivered the closing blow with a game-winning homer that gave Milwaukee a 7-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 31.

Derek Norris | May 29

Derek Norris redeemed himself after four strikeouts when he blasted a grand slam in the ninth inning to give San Diego a 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 29.

Josh Donaldson | May 25

An ecstatic Josh Donaldson heads for home after giving the Toronto Blue Jays a 6-5 win over the Houston Astros on May 25 with a three-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning.

Jhonny Peralta | May 25

Jeff Roberson/AP (left); Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images (right)

Jhonny Peralta delivered a solo shot in the 10th inning of the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 25.

James McCann | May 21

Detroit rookie catcher James McCann hit his second career homer in the 11th inning of a May 21 game against Houston, giving the Tigers a 6-5 win.

Ryan Zimmerman | May 19

Ryan Zimmerman drilled a two-run walk-off homer against the New York Yankees to give the Washington Nationals an 8-6 victory in 10 innings on May 19.

Scott Van Slyke | May 11

Scott Van Slyke got doused after his three-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning gave L.A. a 5-3 win over the Miami Marlins on May 11.

Bryce Harper | May 9

Bryce Harper watches his two-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning of an 8-6 win over Atlanta on May 9.

Logan Morrison | May 8

Logan Morrison's walk-off home run in the 11th inning of a May 8 game against the Oakland Athletics gave Seattle a 4-3 win.

Carlos Perez | May 5

Carlos Perez’s walk-off during the ninth inning of a May 5 game against Seattle propelled the Angels to a 5-4 win.

Yasmani Grandal | May 3

Mark J. Terrill/AP; Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images (inset)

Yasmani Grandal of the Los Angeles Dodgers nails a pitch for the only run of the game, a 13th-inning walk-off homer against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 3.

Kolten Wong | May 3

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images; Bill Boyce/AP (inset)

St. Louis second baseman Kolten Wong seals the 3-2 win for his team with a 14th-nning walk-off home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 3.

David Lough | April 25

David Lough of the Baltimore Orioles hit a 10th inning walk-off homer against Boston on April 25 that gave the Orioles a 5-4 victory.

Yunel Escobar | April 21

Greg Fiume/Getty Images; Greg Fiume/Getty Images (inset)

Yunel Escobar decided to slide into home plate after launching a 10-inning walk-off homer that gave the Washington Nationals a 2-1 win over St. Louis on April 21.

Josh Donaldson | April 18

Josh Donaldson’s 10th inning heroics broke a 5-5 tie and gave the Blue Jays a walk-off win over the Atlanta Braves on April 18.

Trevor Plouffe | April 17

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images; Jim Mone/AP (inset)

Trevor Plouffe of the Twins hit the first walk-off home run of the season, an 11th inning blast on April 17 that pushed Minnesota past Cleveland, 3-2.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has said he is “open to change” the process of voting, but Royals manager Ned Yost proclaimed he is not going to apologize for the fans voting excessively.

“Vote! The votes are the votes," Yost said to USA Today earlier this week. “If you don't like it, go out there and vote. Our fans have gotten out and voted.”

More than 300 million votes have been accepted so far, according to the league, with a possibility of reaching the half-billion mark by the time balloting ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on July 2.

- Scooby Axson

Published Jun 19, 2015

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