Giants' Buster Posey wins starting spot in All-Star Game

Giants catcher Buster Posey held off Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals to earn the starting catcher's job for the National League in the All-Star Game. It will be Posey's third appearance in Major League Baseball's Midsummer Classic and his second as a starter.

The finals voting totals, which were announced Sunday in New York, set the starting lineups for the two teams that will meet at Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark on July 14.The balance of the rosters will be announced Monday.

The balloting was dominated for the past several weeks by the possibility of an avalanche of Kansas City Royals starters on the American League side. Eight Royals were on track to start in vote totals announced June 15, but four of them were overtaken in the late voting, leaving catcher Salvador Perez, outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon and shorstop Alcides Escobar to join manager Ned Yost in Cincinnati.

The four players tied an American League record for fan-elected starters, achieved nine times previously.

Late voting also resulted in a shift in the National League with Todd Frazier of the host Reds overtaking St. Louis' Matt Carpenter for the start at third base.

'We're going to have a blast,' said Yost, who will manage the AL team against NL skipper Bruce Bochy of the Giants. 'The All-Star Game is an experience you never forget, and to do it with so many of our teammates there is really special.'

Yost has already made one decision: Cain will play right field and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels will play center. Trout will make his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance.

Seattle's Nelson Cruz, suspended for the final 50 games of the 2013 season for violating baseball's drug agreement, was elected to start for the second consecutive year.

In the closest vote at any position, Cruz's 10.6 million votes edged the 10.32 million votes received by Kansas City's Kendrys Morales.

Toronto's Josh Donaldson will start at third for the second consecutive year after receiving a record vote total of 14.09 million, topping Josh Hamilton's 11.07 million in 2012. Trout was second this year with 14 million.

Washington outfielder Bryce Harper set a mark for NL players at 13.86 million, topping the previous record of 7.62 million set three years ago by San Francisco catcher Buster Posey, who was elected to start again this year.

MLB said 620 million votes were cast, breaking the old mark of 391 million in 2012.

At least two elected starters will miss the game because of injuries: Miami outfielder Giancarlo Stanton broke a hand on June 26 and Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera hurt his left calf Friday. In addition, the Cardinals' Matt Holliday, who finished third among NL outfielders behind Harper and Stanton, has been sidelined since straining a quadriceps on June 8 and is uncertain when he will return.

'I'm getting there,' Holliday said. 'I've got a few more hurdles to clear with my running, but I feel like I'm getting pretty close.'

Each fan could cast up to 35 ballots in online voting. Pitchers and reserves will be announced Monday.

Altuve overturned a 232,000-vote deficit in totals announced Monday and finished with 9.63 million to top Inante, who was just shy of 9 million. Frazier trailed Carpenter by 2.5 million votes in mid-June and by 63,000 at the start of the week but finished ahead by 2.1 million.

'I was really nervous. I was excited. It was a huge comeback,' Frazier said. 'I'm pretty much on Cloud Nine.'

NL starters include Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Miami second baseman Dee Gordon and St. Louis shortstop Jhonny Peralta, who also was suspended 50 games following MLB's investigation of the Biogenesis of America clinic.