• July 7, 2003

MLB.com established a new record with in excess of 4.6 million online ballots cast, a more than 50% increase over the three million ballots cast in last year's program. More than 60 million total votes were cast in the online program, which is also a record. Voting ended Wednesday night. The Major League Baseball All-Star Balloting Program, the largest in professional sports, encompassed RadioShack In-Stadium Balloting at the 30 Major League ballparks and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico; Topps 2003 All-Star Game Online Ballot powered by Nexl at the Official Website of Major League Baseball (www.MLB.com); Pepsi Retail Balloting at Subway Restaurants and Albertsons grocery stores; and International Retail Balloting throughout Puerto Rico, Canada, Japan and the Dominican Republic. "The combination of home field advantage... and great fan involvement gave us the record results this year," said Brian Phillips, club project manager who directs the All-Star Game Online voting program for MLB Advanced Media.