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A22 sports
Friday 16 November 2018
Boston’s Betts,

Milwaukee’s Yelich

win MVP Awards

By RONALD BLUM designated hitter J.D. Mar-
AP Baseball Writer tinez was next with one first
NEW YORK (AP) — Bos- and 198 points.
ton’s Mookie Betts and Mil- Betts hit a major league-
waukee’s Christian Yelich leading .346 with 32 hom-
were runaway winners of ers, 80 RBIs and 30 stolen
the Most Valuable Player bases as the leadoff hitter
awards after the 26-year- for the Red Sox, who won
old outfielders each led a team-record 108 games
their teams to first-place and their fourth World Se-
finishes with dominant sea- ries title in 15 seasons. Votes
sons that included batting were submitted before the
titles. postseason.
Betts received 28 first-place Both batting champions
votes and 410 points from won MVP awards for the
the Baseball Writers’ Associ- first time since San Fran-
ation of America in ballot- cisco’s Buster Posey and
ing announced Thursday. Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera
Los Angeles Angels out- in 2012. Yelich got 29 first- In this Monday, Sept. 17, 2018 file photo, Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich is congratulated
fielder Mike Trout, a two- place votes and 415 points, by teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball
time MVP, followed with and the other first-place game against the Cincinnati Reds in Milwaukee.
one first-place vote and vote went to New York Mets Associated Press
265 points. Trout tied the re- pitcher Jacob deGrom, the training, the 26-year-old Arenado and one RBI back then lost to the Los Angeles
cord of four second-place NL Cy Young Award win- Yelich won the first batting of Baez. Yelich was espe- Dodgers in a seven-game
finishes shared by Stan Mu- ner, who finished fifth. Chi- title in Brewers history with cially impressive in the sec- League Championship Se-
sial, Ted Williams and Albert cago Cubs infielder Javier a .326 average. He set ca- ond half, hitting .367 with ries, falling one win short of
Pujols. Trout won in 2014 Baez was second with 250 reer highs with 36 homers 25 homers and 67 RBIs — its first World Series appear-
and 2016; was finished sec- points, followed by Colo- and 110 RBIs and had a including 11 homers in Au- ance since 2002.Yelich
ond in ‘12, ‘13 and ‘15; and rado third baseman Nolan 1.000 OPS. gust and 10 in September. gets a $100,000 bonus for
was fourth in 2017. Arenado with 203. Yelich nearly became the Milwaukee reached the winning, and the price of
Cleveland third baseman Acquired from the payroll- NL’s first Triple Crown winner playoffs for the first time in the 2022 team option in his
Jose Ramirez was third with paring Miami Marlins about since Joe Medwick in 1937, seven years, swept Colo- contract increases by $1
208 points, and Red Sox a month before spring finishing two homers shy of rado in the Division Series million to $16 million.q

Cy Young loser. New York averaged

3.5 runs in games started
Continued from Page 17 in 2015. Yet the 30-year- by deGrom, second only to
old right-hander went 10- Cole Hamels for worst sup-
“I definitely think the game 9, eclipsing the low bar port in the majors among
has changed in that as- among starters of 13 victo- qualified pitchers.
pect,” deGrom said. ries set by the Dodgers’ Fer- During one stretch late in
“I feel like it’s just turning nando Valenzuela in 1981 the season, the Mets to-
more into quality of work and matched by Seattle’s taled 10 runs over seven of
and what did you accom- Felix Hernandez in 2010. deGrom’s outings, and four
plish in those innings,” Snell DeGrom allowed three of those were driven in by
said. “I think that’s just the runs or fewer in 29 con- the pitcher himself.
way it’s going.” secutive starts to close the DeGrom nearly produced
DeGrom easily beat out season, breaking Leslie more wins above replace-
Washington’s Max Scher- “King” Cole’s 108-year-old ment than actual wins —
zer, who was seeking a record of 26 such outings. an unfortunate sabermet-
third straight Cy Young and Yet the Mets were 11-18 In this Sept. 26, 2018, file photo, New York Mets pitcher Jacob ric feat that has only been
fourth overall. DeGrom got in those games and 14-18 deGrom delivers the ball to the Atlanta Braves during the accomplished once, when
29 first-place votes and 207 overall with deGrom on the second inning of a baseball game in New York. DeGrom won the Philadelphia Athletics’
points from members of the mound. the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Eddie Smith went 4-17 with
Baseball Writers’ Associa- “My thought process was, Associated Press 4.1 WAR in 1937. Baseball-
tion of America. Scherzer ‘Hey, take the ball every vanced analytics made season, but you kind of set Reference calculated de-
had the other first-place fifth day and continue to deGrom’s candidacy pos- personal goals, and I think Grom for 9.6 WAR.
vote. try to put this team in po- sible, and by September being able to accomplish The 2014 NL Rookie of the
In his first season after chop- sition to win and control there was little debate de- something that has been Year, he became the sev-
ping off his distinctive long what you can control,’” Grom was worthy, even as a dream of yours is just enth rookie winner voted
hair, deGrom cut down hit- deGrom said. the Mets regularly wasted something special. To be a Cy Young, joining fel-
ters from start to finish de- Hernandez’s Cy Young vic- his dominance. a Cy Young Award winner, low Mets Tom Seaver and
spite little help from team- tory signaled a major shift “This was one of my goals,” you’re in great company, Dwight Gooden.
mates. He had a 1.70 ERA, from voters, who once pri- deGrom said. “The team and it truly is an honor.” R.A. Dickey was the only
the lowest in the NL since oritized pitcher wins. didn’t end up where we Perhaps no pitcher had other Met to win a Cy
Zack Greinke’s 1.66 mark The push toward ad- wanted to be this past ever been such a hard-luck Young. q