LOS ANGELES _ On the ground floor of Dodger Stadium, as he walked into a room filled with fans who spent the night punching keys to vote him into the All-Star game, Justin Turner reached for the hand of his fiancee, Kourtney. His hand was coated with sweat. He had tried to downplay his desire to be an All-Star, but he could not hide the jitters.
Turner grabbed a seat in front of a television showing the announcement of the final vote. He held his dog, Moonshine, on his lap. When he heard the news, that he had won the "Final Vote" contest with a record 20.8 million votes, Turner hugged Kourtney and beamed. Behind him, the fans chanted his name.
"I definitely had butterflies," Turner said a few hours before his team's stirring 5-4 comeback victory to sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks. "I was overcome with happiness when I heard them say my name. I'm glad to be able to represent the Los Angeles Dodgers."
The announcement turned what could have been a black eye for the organization into something of a triumph. Four days after closer Kenley Jansen criticized Dodgers fans for failing to vote any members of the team into the National League's starting lineup, the fans propelled Turner to the top of a field that including reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant.
Turner, the 32-year-old from Long Beach, became the fifth Dodger headed to Miami next week for the Midsummer Classic. He will attend with Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and Jansen. Alex Wood could join the group, as Kershaw will start Sunday against Kansas City, making him ineligible to pitch in Tuesday's exhibition.
Of the six men, Turner traveled the most circuitous route to stardom. He was non-tendered by the New York Mets after 2013. A balky knee caused him to flunk a Dodgers physical in the offseason. He signed a minor league contract and earned a spot on the roster. In the next four years, he played his way into the starting lineup, into a four-year, $64 million contract this past winter, into a role as "the glue" of the Dodgers, as manager Dave Roberts called him.
"He plays the game hard every single night," Roberts said. "You want to do right by him."
Turner played a secondary role in Thursday's ninth-inning rally against Arizona closer Fernando Rodney. He was intentionally walked moments after Corey Seager tied the score with a two-run single, and moments before Chris Taylor ended the game with a walk-off single, his fourth hit of the game. Rodney had walked three of the first four batters he faced, including a bases-loaded walk to Logan Forsythe.
Rodney blew a three-run lead built off the Dodgers' own bullpen. Luis Avilan served up a pair of solo homers to Arizona infielders Jake Lamb and Ketel Marte in the eighth. An inning later, Josh Fields balked in a run.
Before the relievers blew up, Rich Hill dueled with Arizona starter Robbie Ray. Hill struck out nine in seven innings of one-run baseball; Ray countered with 13 strikeouts in six innings of one-run ball. Hill gave up a solo homer to Lamb in the fifth. Forsythe tied it with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning. Ray struck out the side to leave the bases loaded in the sixth. He stranded Turner at third.
Turner owns a sterling resume for the All-Star game. He entered Thursday's game batting .385, while playing excellent defense at third base. But Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado won the fan vote and the players voted Lamb as the backup. The tepid performance in the fan voting prompted an outburst by Jansen over the weekend in San Diego. "It's the Dodgers' fans fault," Jensen said.
The comment stung, especially for those unable to watch the team on television due to a regionwide blackout, as the Dodgers remain embroiled in a dispute with DirecTV for the fourth season in a row.
Jansen's words fueled a public-relations offensive from the organization. The Dodgers wore T-shirts supporting Turner's candidacy during batting practice. Orel Hershiser implored fans to vote for Turner before his first at-bat Tuesday _ Turner responded by hitting a home run. The marketing department reached out to the fan group Pantone 294, who staffed the "campaign center" inside the ballpark.
In the aftermath of the turnout, Jansen's remarks were recast as a challenge, rather than criticism.
"I think Kenley caught a little bit of heat for what he said in San Diego, but he also sparked a huge mob of voters to get out there and prove to everyone that Dodger fans are the best fans in baseball, which we've said all along," Turner said. "They went out and proved it this week."
Asked if Turner owed him dinner for his efforts, Jansen demurred. He said he was happier for Turner making the team than he was for his own selection. And he credited the fan base for supporting Turner.
"I have to say I'm thankful for our fans," Jansen said. "They showed up."
And Turner was the beneficiary.
