MINNEAPOLIS -- Brian Dozier will make the All-Star Game after all.
After an unsuccessful campaign to vote Dozier in as a Final Vote candidate Friday, the Twins second baseman was named to the American League team Saturday as an injury reserve. AL manager Ned Yost and Major League Baseball named Dozier to the team after Toronto’s Jose Bautista had to pull out due to a sore shoulder.
The news broke on Target Field’s scoreboard after three innings of Saturday’s game against Detroit. The 30,000-plus fans in attendance roared in approval.
Dozier, a fourth-year veteran, will make his first All-Star Game and will join teammate Glen Perkins at the Midsummer Classic in Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Dozier, who wasn’t voted in by fans as a starter Sunday, was again left off the reserve roster by Yost on Monday.
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In the wake of that news, Dozier hit a two-run, game-winning home run in the 10th inning for a 4-2 win Monday over Baltimore.
Then Dozier was one of five players included in the fan’s Final Vote, but he finished second to Kansas City’s third baseman Mike Moustakas on Friday.
With the opportunity of an all-star game seemingly gone, Dozier hit a three-run, walk-off homer in the ninth inning of Friday's 8-6 win over Detroit.
For the Final Vote, the Twins used a heavy marketing campaign to get Dozier voted in with the slogan “No Bull. #VoteDozier.” They had a bulldozer parked outside Target Field and had video stump speeches from Brett Favre, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach Parise, Maya Moore and others.
