All eyes in the baseball world will be on Shohei Ohtani as the two-way superstar returns to MLB’s All-Star events next week.
But one person watching from home will have a frown on their face: Toronto Blue Jays DH Brandon Belt, who finished as the runner-up to Ohtani in the fan vote for the All-Star Game.
“I should have been in first place, probably by a couple of million votes, but unfortunately the All-Star Game is rigged,” Belt told Sportsnet’s Hazel May before Tuesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, tongue very much in cheek. “They put the people in there that they want in there, they don’t want me in there for some reason. So I’ll be sitting at home watching Shohei hit in my spot in the all-star game. Will he do as good as me? Probably not. But that’s the cards I was dealt so I’ve got to live with it.”
While final vote totals were not revealed, Ohtani led Belt by nearly 1.4 million votes when the last update was shared on June 20. He ultimately finished as the highest vote-getter in the American League.
Ohtani has seemingly found another level this season, leading the majors with 31 home runs entering play Tuesday and third with 132 strikeouts as a pitcher.
Belt is in the midst of an impressive bounce-back season, nearly eclipsing his marks from last year with six home runs and 20 RBI in 57 games. Belt’s only all-star appearance was in 2016.
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