Inge, Victorino voted all stars by fans

NEW YORK, July 9 (UPI) -- The Detroit Tigers' Brandon Inge and Philadelphia Phillies' Shane Victorino were named Thursday as the fans' choice for the final All-Star Game roster berths.

Major League Baseball said on its Web site the fan vote total, 68.6 million, was by far the largest ever, with both players garnering first-time All-Star nods. Their berths started the catch phrase "Bran-Torino."

Inge, a third baseman, amassed 11.8 million votes, the most ever for an American League player.

"He deserves it," said Detroit Manager Jim Leyland. "It's a tremendous honor to have such an opportunity."

Inge, an outstanding defensive infielder, entered Thursday with a .264 batting average, 19 homers and 54 RBI.

Victorino, Philadelphia's center fielder, was batting .306 with 22 doubles, six triples, six home runs, 39 RBI and 13 stolen bases.

"It means a lot to me," Victorino -- whose nickname is the Flyin' Hawaiian -- said Wednesday when told that Philadelphia fans spent 24-plus hours hunched over laptops to vote.