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Dodgers, Angels Each Have One All-Star : Voting: Piazza is selected as the NL’s starting catcher. Davis will be an AL reserve.

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

The Dodgers and Angels each placed only one player on the National and American league All-Star teams announced Sunday.

Mike Piazza of the Dodgers won the fan vote and will be the starting catcher for the National League.

Chili Davis of the Angels was selected as an outfield reserve by Cito Gaston of the Toronto Blue Jays, who will manage the American League team in the July 12 game at Pittsburgh.

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Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said it was “strange and surprising” that only Piazza will represent the team that leads the National League West, saying Raul Mondesi, Brett Butler and Tim Wallach are all deserving. However, he did not criticize Philadelphia Phillie Manager Jim Fregosi, who will guide the NL team, saying it is impossible to pick every deserving player because the fans select the starters and the manager must then make sure every team has at least one representative on the 28-man squad.

“One year I sent letters to six players apologizing for not being able to pick them,” Lasorda said.

Fregosi, who watched his Phillies lose to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, 3-1, joined Gaston in calling for expansion of the teams to 32 players, but said he had no problem with the fans selecting the starters.

“I think it’s the fans’ game and they should have the opportunity to see who they want to see. I think it generates a lot of interest,” Fregosi said. “In picking the rest of the squad, I tried to pick the guys who were most deserving and gave us the best chance of winning. Not everyone is going to agree, but there are only so many spots. Consider the outfield. I could have picked all three Montreal outfielders (he picked only Moises Alou). I mean, Marquis Grissom leads the league in runs and I didn’t pick him.”

Even more difficult, Fregosi said, were first base and third base, where the fans selected the St. Louis Cardinals’ Gregg Jefferies--”if the fans hadn’t voted me in, I wouldn’t even be on the team,” Jefferies said--and the San Francisco Giants’ Matt Williams as the starters.

Fregosi picked the Houston Astros’ Jeff Bagwell--”He leads the majors in RBIs and is the best young player in the league”--and the Atlanta Braves’ Fred McGriff--”I wanted the left-handed hitter coming off the bench”--as the first base backups over Andres Galarraga, who is having another big year after leading the NL in hitting last season.

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He picked the Astros’ Ken Caminiti over Wallach as the backup at third, with Carlos Garcia, Pittsburgh’s only representative, getting a spot among the infield reserves. “Caminiti and Wallach are having similar seasons, but Caminiti is the best defensive third baseman in the league,” Fregosi said.

Said Wallach: “I would have enjoyed going, but it’s not a must for me. The three days off are probably better for me at this point. I mean, I won’t be the only guy who maybe deserves to go but wasn’t selected. Some will have hard feelings about it, but I’m not one of them.”

Said Butler: “I made it once and that’s good enough. Whether I think I should have made it or not, it’s not for me to say.”

Piazza, selected as a rookie reserve last year, received 2,536,825 votes, about 300,000 more than Kirt Manwaring of the Giants. Piazza said it was a tremendous honor and would count his blessings, considering how many deserving players weren’t selected.

“I enjoyed last year, but will have a better idea of what to expect this time,” he said.

Cardinal shortstop Ozzie Smith, who will start for the 11th time, led National League balloting with 3,514,824 votes and said, “I think it’s the fans way of saying ‘thank you,’ and I’m very appreciative.”

Seattle Mariner center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. received a record 6,079,688 votes.

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