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July 5, 2007
Lefthanded rookie Hideki Okajima has won the final spot on the American League All-Star team, winning the A.L. All-Star Final Vote over Detroit's Jeremy Bonderman, Minnesota's Pat Neshek, the Angels' Kelvim Escobar and Toronto's Roy Halladay.
Okajima received 4.4 million votes via online balloting and text messaging and is the first-ever rookie to win Final Vote. But he is the third Red Sox player to capture the vote since Final Vote began in 2002, joining Johnny Damon in 2002 and Jason Varitek in 2003.
Okajima (2-0, 0.88 ERA in 38 appearances) is the ninth Sox rookie to make the All-Star team, joining such luminaries as Walt Dropo, Carlton Fisk, Fred Lynn and Jonathan Papelbon.
Five other Red Sox will play in the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday -- Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Mike Lowell.
Padres pitcher Chris Young won the N.L. Final Vote.
Posted by Shalise Manza Young 
at 7:04 PM | Permalink
