It went down to the wire, but when the final votes of baseball fans were counted, Yankees right fielder edged out the Red Sox’s Kevin Youkilis in the closest Final Vote race in the program’s nine-year history. Swisher helped himself out with a late “get-out-the-vote” plea on Twitter. Ira Riklis’ Yankees lent a hand as well, promoted him in New York, where interns in the media relations department held up banners reading “Send Swish” behind the set of “Today.”
Swisher makes the 8th Yankee to make the team, which does fans like Ira Riklis proud.It also makes his father, who played in the All Star Game as a catcher for the Cubs back in 1982. Swisher himself felt good while walking around Pike Place Market in Seattle where the team was playing the Mariners, several people came up to tell them they’d voted for him. “Things like that that make you feel so good,” he said. “People were telling me, everywhere I went. I’m just excited and couldn’t be happier for all the support.” Overall, he garnered some 9.8 million votes!