Originally published July 2, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified July 11, 2007 at 9:09 PM

Ichiro, Putz named All-Stars

Ichiro and J.J. Putz don't have to board a plane this All-Star break. They won't have to do anything more than drive over a bay, going...

By Danny O'Neil

Seattle Times staff reporter

Ichiro and J.J. Putz don't have to board a plane this All-Star break.

They won't have to do anything more than drive over a bay, going from Oakland — where the Mariners will conclude a four-game series Sunday — to San Francisco, where the All-Star Game will be played two days later.

"Very convenient," Ichiro said, according to his interpreter Ken Barron. "I'm looking forward to that."

Fans voted Ichiro into the starting lineup in the All-Star Game. Putz was selected to his first All-Star Game by the players' ballot.

Ichiro made the team for the seventh time in his seven seasons, six as a starter. The seven selections in Major League Baseball matches his number of All-Star selections in Japan, meeting a goal he set after he left Japan.

"It will never be something that's old hat," Ichiro said. "It's something that's very exciting for me."

Ichiro received 2,341,409 votes, third-most among all American League outfielders behind Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels and Magglio Ordonez of the Tigers. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez led the league in fan voting with 3,890,515 votes.

Ichiro is second in the league in batting average (.365) and has hit safely in 49 of his past 52 games.

Putz was one of eight American League pitchers chosen by the players' ballot. He has converted all 23 save opportunities this season and Sunday he won his first game of the year after pitching a scoreless ninth inning against Toronto.

"It's something everybody would really love to be a part of," Putz said of the All-Star inclusion. "It's not something you can set as a goal because there's really so many things you can't control in that.

"It's just a tremendous honor."

The All-Star selections were announced before the game Sunday against Toronto.

In fact, that's what most players figured the team meeting was about. And sure enough, the selections were announced, but that was overshadowed when manager Mike Hargrove said he was resigning.

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