FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2017

FIRST BASE RACE HEATS UP AS ZIMMERMAN OVERTAKES RIZZO IN LATEST BALLOTING UPDATE

Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot Available Online Until Thursday, June 29th at 11:59 p.m. (ET)

Ryan Zimmerman of the has overtaken the top spot at first base, surpassing

Anthony Rizzo of the in the latest National League balloting update for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, it was announced earlier today on MLB Network. The next balloting update for the

American League will be announced tomorrow. The 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot, which is available exclusively online via MLB.com, Club sites and mobile devices, will be accessible until the voting period ends on

Thursday, June 29th at 11:59 p.m. (ET).

Zimmerman, who trailed the position by nearly 94,000 votes last week, has a total of 670,671 votes, while Rizzo has accumulated 657,702 votes. Zimmerman is aiming for his second career All-Star selection (2009) and first starting assignment. Entering play today, the 32-year-old leads the Majors with a .374 batting average to go along with 16 home runs and 48 RBI. Rizzo is bidding for his fourth career All-Star selection (2014-16) and second straight fan- elected start. The last Cubs infielder to earn a starting nod from the fans in consecutive seasons was Hall of

Famer , who claimed eight straight starts at second base from 1986-93.

On the left side of the infield, a close three-way race has emerged at between leader Corey

Seager of the Dodgers (604,783), Zack Cozart of the (547,750) and 2016 All-Star starter

Addison Russell of the Cubs (537,688). Seager leads NL with 39 runs scored and 36 walks, while

Cozart paces the position with nine home runs, five triples and a .344 batting average. Seager and Russell are each vying for their second All-Star selection (2016), while Cozart is aiming for his first Midsummer Classic appearance. The remaining NL leaders include: Daniel Murphy of the Nationals (1,149,130); Kris Bryant of the Cubs (895,752); of the (917,359); and of the Nationals (1,459,235), of the (979,961) and of the Cubs (498,079). Murphy continues to rank second overall in the NL behind his teammate Harper, and is trailed at second base by Javier Báez of the Cubs (715,928). Colorado’s

(613,571) follows Bryant at third base, and Cubs backstop Willson Contreras (511,029) remains second behind

Posey. Heyward, who is fighting off fierce competition for the third outfield spot, is trailed by his Cubs teammate

Ben Zobrist (472,114), Atlanta’s (457,586) and of the Cubs (423,394). Giancarlo

Stanton (398,569) and Marcell Ozuna (392,973) of the host are also close behind in the competitive race.

The Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot, the largest program of its kind in professional sports, is being conducted exclusively online for the third consecutive season. Fans around the world can cast their votes for starters a total of 35 times with the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot, including a maximum of five valid ballots cast in any 24-hour period. The 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot is available in English and

Spanish, and offers audio CAPTCHA functionality for visually impaired fans. Banco BHD León once again sponsors online All-Star balloting in the , making Spanish-language ballots available to fans in the Dominican Republic via LasMayores.com, the official Spanish-language Web site of .

Details regarding the unveiling of the 2017 American League and National League All-Star Teams will be available in the coming weeks. The AL All-Star Team will have nine elected starters via the fan balloting program, while the NL All-Star Team will have eight fan-elected starters. The pitchers and reserves for both squads – totaling 23 for the NL and 22 for the AL – will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office.

Following the announcement of the American League and National League All-Star rosters, fans will begin voting to select the final player for each League’s 32-man roster via the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final

Vote. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each League over the balloting period. Now in its

16th season with over 680 million votes cast, fans again will be able to make their Final Vote selections on

MLB.com, Club sites and their mobile devices.

This year’s final phase of All-Star Game voting again will have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites – online or via their mobile devices – with the

2017 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year’s recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Marlins Park (July 11th),

Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Derby (July 10th), All-Star Sunday featuring the

SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 9th), All-Star FanFest at the

Miami Beach Convention Center (July 7th-11th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city.

The 88th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.

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Contact: Patrick Courtney or Michael Teevan, Major League Baseball, (212) 931-7878, twitter.com/mlb_pr

2017 NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STAR BALLOTING UPDATE #2 Monday, June 5th

FIRST BASEMEN # Player Club Votes # Player Club Votes 1. Nationals 670,671 1. Buster Posey Giants 917,359 2. Anthony Rizzo Cubs 657,702 2. Willson Contreras Cubs 510,029 3. Braves 401,982 3. Yadier Molina Cardinals 478,406 4. D-backs 363,431 4. Matt Wieters Nationals 300,980 5. Matt Carpenter Cardinals 214,324 5. Yasmani Grandal Dodgers 241,497

SECOND BASEMEN OUTFIELDERS # Player Club Votes # Player Club Votes 1. Daniel Murphy Nationals 1,149,130 1. Bryce Harper Nationals 1,459,235 2. Javier Báez Cubs 715,928 2. Charlie Blackmon Rockies 979,961 3. Brandon Phillips Braves 185,862 3. Jason Heyward Cubs 498,079 4. DJ LeMahieu Rockies 175,435 4. Ben Zobrist Cubs 472,114 5. Kolten Wong Cardinals 171,848 5. Matt Kemp Braves 457,586 6. Kyle Schwarber Cubs 423,394 THIRD BASEMEN 7. Marlins 398,569 # Player Club Votes 8. Marcell Ozuna Marlins 392,973 1. Kris Bryant Cubs 895,752 9. Yoenis Céspedes Mets 327,116 2. Nolan Arenado Rockies 613,571 10. Cardinals 268,545 3. Justin Turner Dodgers 362,952 11. Mets 245,634 4. Nationals 295,369 12. Jayson Werth Nationals 236,367 5. Cardinals 275,281 13. Reds 234,099 14. Yasiel Puig Dodgers 206,743 SHORTSTOPS 15. Brewers 188,192 # Player Club Votes 1. Dodgers 604,783 VOTING UPDATE SCHEDULE 2. Zack Cozart Reds 547,750 Tuesday, June 6th AL Voting Update #2 3. Addison Russell Cubs 537,688 Monday, June 12th NL Voting Update #3 4. Chris Owings D-backs 328,217 Tuesday, June 13th AL Voting Update #3 5. Trea Turner Nationals 323,751 Monday, June 19th NL Voting Update #4 Tuesday, June 20th AL Voting Update #4 TBD NL Voting Update #5 TBD AL Voting Update #5