Joe DiMaggio Takes Lead in Stamps Batted In Pennant Race

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Jul 16, 2012, 07:52 ET

All-Time Record Set with 1.5 Million Stamps Pre-Ordered

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Joe DiMaggio fans have stolen the lead from Ted Williams for the first time since the Stamps Batted In (SBI) pennant race began in April. The race—created to spark a friendly competition among rival sports fans—closes July 19 prior to the July 20-21 official First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremonies for the Major League Baseball All-Stars Forever stamps.

Collectively, fans have hit a grand slam with a record 1.5 million stamps pre-ordered. Never before has the public ordered as many stamps prior to their introduction.

The Major League Baseball All-Star Forever stamps also include Cleveland Indian Larry Doby—the first African-American player in the American League—and Pittsburgh Pirate slugger Willie Stargell.

The SBI breakdown is as follows: DiMaggio, 421,266; Williams, 417,066; Stargell, 340,646; and, Doby with 332,566.

"This pennant race is getting more exciting," said Stamp Services Manager Stephen Kearney. "DiMaggio has dethroned Williams—for now—and there's just a week left for Larry Doby or Willie Stargell fans to take the pennant. We're confident they'll step up to the plate."

Fans can still pump up the SBI for their favorite player by visiting www.usps.com/play-ball. Visit this link for additional details on the stamps and the dedication ceremonies.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office™ Boxes. The Postal Service™ receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com®, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service