Yasiel Puig may have had the support, but in the end he didn't have the votes.
The Dodgers rookie lost out to Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, a Fountain Valley native, in Final Vote balloting by fans for next week's All-Star Game in New York. Freeman led online and Twitter voting the entire way despite a push by the Dodgers to send Puig.
A record 79.2 million votes were cast this week, according to MLB.com. Freeman finished with 19.6 million votes. Puig's vote totals were not released.
Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who had thrown his support to Puig, was fifth in the final tally behind Giants outfielder Hunter Pence and Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond.
Puig didn't quibble over the results, saying through a translator, "I'm happy with it. It's not what I expected for the team and for the city, but I've just got to keep on playing. I’m very happy. I don't have my head down at all. I want to congratulate Freedie Freeman for winning."
Puig still has a chance to represent the Dodgers on the NL team, but he would need to be an injury replacement if a player pulls out. In that case, manager Bruce Bochy would have to select him after consulting with commissioner Bud Selig.
Puig, 22, has had a major impact on the Dodgers since he was called up from the minor leagues and began Thursday night hitting .394 with eight home runs and 19 RBI.
On the day he arrived, the Dodgers had a 23-32 record and were 8½ games out of first in the NL West. Since that time, they have gone 22-13 and trailed the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks by 1½ games heading into Thursday night's action.
Manager Don Mattingly said he had no doubt that Puig would probably play in future All-Star Games.
"Obviously, if he continues to do what he's been doing over a full year or seasons, then we're going to see a lot of Yasiel," he said. "That's the thing you should remember – if you're going to be an All-Star, then you’ve got to be able to continue to do it.
"How good you are is really measured over time. There's lot of people that have come in for short periods of time and done well, but the key for guys that are really, truly going to be great players is longevity and consistency. We'll find all that out."
The All-Star Game is Tuesday and can be seen on FOX (7:30 p.m. ET).
