ST. PETERSBURG — Family and friends have been calling Carlos Peña non-stop since Sunday.
“We’re voting for you,” they all say.
The people who work at the Publix near Peña’s home? Same thing.
“We’re voting for you,” they say.
One Publix employee told Peña he voted at 4 a.m. Tuesday, voted so many times his hand hurt.
“That means the world to me,” Peña said before Tuesday’s game with the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
But will it mean a trip to next week’s All-Star Game for the Tampa Bay Rays first baseman?
Peña and Toronto’s Adam Lind trailed the Texas Rangers’ Ian Kinsler, the Los Angeles Angels’ Chone Figgins and the Detroit Tigers’ Brandon Inge after three days of voting for the final spot on the American League roster. The campaign is the “Final Vote,” and can be found at MLB.com.
Voting ends at 4 p.m. Thursday.
“I’m pushing for ’Los all the way,” said Rays left fielder Carl Crawford, one of four Rays already named to the American League All-Star roster.
Peña is in danger of becoming the first American League home run leader not to make the All-Star Game since Detroit’s Mickey Tettleton in 1993.
Rays manager Joe Maddon, who will manage the AL squad, had a hand in selecting the reserves, but did not get his own first baseman on the squad despite the fact Peña is the top home run hitter in the league.
“The manager (messed) up,” Maddon said.
The fans have a chance to remedy that, though they haven’t exactly thrown their support toward Peña like they did Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, who garnered 9 million votes last July — a record for the “Final Vote.”
The Rays have launched a campaign to get Peña elected. The “Vote ’Los” campaign began Tuesday. The Rays provided laptops around the Trop to enable fans to cast their votes for Peña during the game. They ran adds on YouTube and Facebook. They provided “Vote ’Los” T-shirts to stadium employees as well as all the Rays players, coaches and clubhouse staff.
The white T-shirts featured Peña’s head shot, the St. Louis Arch and the St. Louis skyline. Peña’s head formed the “O” in ’Los.
“I’m very happy with this,” Peña said while looking at his T-shirt. “I think I look somewhat handsome.”
Peña would love to win the vote and reach his first All-Star Game. Meanwhile, he’s happy for all the Rays All-Stars — Longoria, Crawford, shortstop Jason Bartlett and second baseman Ben Zobrist.
“We have impact players in our ballpark all around,” Peña said. “I’m proud of the All-Stars we have. Hopefully, we can have one more.”
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