Pujols, Jeter win Hank Aaron Award
PHILADELPHIA --- Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, who figures to win his third National League Most Valuable Player award next month, won a second Hank Aaron award Sunday night.
Pujols and the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter (American League) were announced as the 2009 Aaron winners before Game 4 of the World Series although Pujols, who recently had right elbow surgery, was not on hand.
The award, named for the former great Milwaukee and Atlanta slugger, goes to the best overall offensive performer in each league. The winners were derived from online fan balloting.
Pujols, who also was honored in 2003, had 47 homers this season, marking the first time he has led the league in homers and the first Cardinal to lead since new hitting coach Mark McGwire in 1998-99. Besides leading the majors in homers, he also led in runs scored (124), on-base percentage (.443) and slugging (.658).
Besides hitting .327 and driving in 135 runs, both of which were third in the league, Pujols was 10 for 17 with five home runs when hitting with the bases loaded. His 44 intentional walks were a major-league record for a righthanded batter.
Pujols is the only player in baseball history to hit above .300 with 30 or more homers and 100 or more runs batted in his first nine seasons in the majors.
(c) St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Yankees Get Money's Worth With New Stadium Home-Field Advantage
(Bloomberg) -- The New York Yankees are getting their money's worth out of their new $1.5 billion ballpark.
They've won 57 times at Yankee Stadium this season to tie a Major League Baseball record for a team in a new ballpark, while they are 5-0 at home in the playoffs and 36-8 in New York since the All-Star break.
The Yankees host the defending-champion Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series tonight with designs on becoming the second franchise since 1923 to open a stadium with a World Series title.
''I don't think our players feel invincible, but we feel this park is good for us,'' manager Joe Girardi said in advance of the Yankees' workout yesterday. ''We've had a lot of great things that have happened in this ballpark late in games. That's a good feeling.''
In the past 86 years, the only team to win a World Series title in its first year in a new stadium was the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. Before the 1923 Yankees, who claimed the championship in their first year at the old Yankee Stadium, the last team to do it was the 1912 Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees spent 85 years in their former home, appearing in 37 World Series and winning a record 26 titles behind Hall of Fame players such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Reggie [bn:PRSN=1] Jackson.
Home Wins
The shell of the old stadium still stands, just across the street from the new park. After beginning this season with a 6-7 record at the new stadium, New York has gone 56-17 since Alex Rodriguez recovered from hip surgery.
''There's definitely a special mystique when you walk into Yankee Stadium, new or old,'' said Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth, whose stepfather Dennis played for the Yankees from 1978- 81. ''It's the cathedral of baseball. It's where everybody wanted to play as a kid.''
The Yankees had 36 comeback victories at home this year, breaking the franchise-record of 32 set by the 1932 Yankees championship team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, baseball's official statistician. This season's team won 15 times at Yankee Stadium in the game's final at-bat, the most in the majors.
Extending their home success in Game 1 may be a crucial first step in the Yankees' quest for a 27th championship. Teams winning the opening game have won six consecutive World Series titles and 11 of the past 12.
''It's a great thing going to the World Series in the first year of a new stadium,'' Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher told MLB.com. ''To be able to make memories of our own is a wonderful way to start this off.''
Game 1 Starters
CC Sabathia will pitch Game 1 for the Yankees against Cliff Lee, his former teammate with the Cleveland Indians. Sabathia and Lee have a combined 0.96 earned run average this postseason and exchanged text messages in advance of today's showdown.
''A couple years ago we were talking about maybe pitching in a World Series together, now we're in different clubhouses,'' said Sabathia, who threw the first pitch at Yankee Stadium this season. ''It's just a little weird, but it'll be fun.''
Lee is 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA at Yankee Stadium, and in his only start at the park this year allowed one run over six innings while with Cleveland.
In Game 2 tomorrow in New York, the Phillies will turn to Pedro Martinez, who had a career 8-4 record with a 2.95 ERA in 16 career starts at the old Yankee Stadium while pitching for the New York Mets and Red Sox. He'll be opposed by A.J. Burnett.
The best-of-seven series then shifts to Philadelphia before returning to New York for a sixth and seventh game, if necessary. The Phillies are 11-1 at Citizens Bank Park over their past five postseason series.
Home Run Hitters
In addition to pitching, power may play a pivotal role in determining the champion.
The Yankees and Phillies combined for 468 home runs this season, the most for two teams entering the World Series. The Yankees set a franchise-record with a major league-high 244 homers, while the Phillies led the National League with 224.
The teams hit 12 homers -- six each -- during a three-game series at Yankee Stadium in May, when the Phillies won twice.
''I don't think those games really hold a lot of weight at this time of year,'' said Werth, who has five homers this postseason. ''But we went 2-1 there, so we feel comfortable going into Yankee Stadium.''
(c) 2009 BLOOMBERG L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
2009 Tiger of the Year: Justin Verlander
The numbers were hard to ignore; career bests across the board. When the Tigers needed a big win, he stepped on the rubber and more times than not--he delivered.
Never has there been an easier award to decide on than my endorsement of Justin Verlander for the 2009 Tiger of the Year.
A 19-9 record, 3.45 ERA and a Major League Baseball best 269 strikeouts seemed like a long shot after the way Verlander opened the year. Verlander started '09 in horrendous fashion, going 0-2 with an ERA of 9.00 in over his first four starts in April. Then came the April 27 start at Comerica Park against the Yankees.
Seven scoreless innings. More strikeouts (nine) than hits allowed (seven). Verlander was back.
Verlander used the start against New York to springboard into May, where he went 5-0 in his six starts and had a 1.52 ERA. His performance earned him AL Pitcher of the month honors for the month.
With a 10-4 record at the break, Verlander was rewarded with his second trip to the All-Star game/ Verlander went on to win
His April aside, Verlander posted a winning record every month, and only once had a monthly ERA north of 4.00. He won his last three starts of the season, going at least seven innings in each; never allowing more than four runs.
Verlander needed a win in his last outing over the rival Chicago White Sox to keep Detroit's playoff hopes alive. Verlander went 7.2 innings, allowing three runs in a 5-3 victory in the Tigers last game at Comerica Park in 2009.
(c) 2009 Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com. All Rights reserved.
Cards force extras, but fall in series finale
ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals reached the end of the regular season on Sunday afternoon thankful for a clean start.
After twice tying the game in the eighth and ninth innings, the Cardinals fell to the Brewers, 9-7, in 10 innings at Busch Stadium. The loss was the Cardinals' third in a row and their eighth in the past 10 games.
St. Louis enters Wednesday's playoff opener having won just one of seven games since clinching the NL Central title last Saturday in Colorado, but also know that it needs the same number of wins as the other seven playoff teams vying for the ultimate prize.
"Everyone wanted to win some games down the stretch, but what's exciting is that everything is starting from a clean slate," said outfielder Ryan Ludwick. "All of that hard work that we put in during the offseason and Spring Training, we've reached our goal. We are in the postseason and I am super excited. It's go time. It's what everybody has played for.
"It's a new season. We've got the L.A. Dodgers [in the National League Division Series on TBS starting Wednesday in California]. It should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it."
Albert Pujols did add to the record books in this game in the fifth with his 185th assist of the season, passing Bill Buckner's record for the most by a first baseman in a single campaign.
NLDS Game 3 starter Joel Pineiro gave up three earned runs in five innings in his final tuneup for the playoffs but wasn't able to help end the Cardinals' recent slide. Jason Kendall hit a two-run double off the righty in the second before Prince Fielder launched the first of two long home runs to put the Brewers up 4-1 in the fifth.
After giving up four or more earned runs just five times in the first five months of the season, Pineiro gave up at least that many in four of his seven September starts. But echoing the comments of several of his teammates, Pineiro was closing the door on the regular season and is ready for a fresh start.
"We're not the only team that has struggled," Pineiro said. "The first one to 11 is going to win. We've got all of the pieces in place. Everyone is healthy, which is the big key. Everyone just has to do the little things to go out there and get those 11 wins.
"Maybe that was the best part, getting everything out of the way now. I don't know. I didn't change anything from April to September and I'm not going to change anything now."
Skip Schumaker singled and scored in the first to put the Cardinals up, 1-0. Schumaker then singled in the third to assure his third straight season in the Major Leagues with a batting average above .300. Brendan Ryan needed a three-hit day to reach .300 himself, but he went 0-for-5 before being lifted in the ninth.
St. Louis fell behind, 6-1, in the seventh inning but rallied to tie the game in the eighth inning. The Redbirds cut into the deficit in the seventh, scoring three times to make it 6-4. Rookie David Freese then tied the game in the eighth with a two-run bloop single to right after Matt Pagnozzi put runners at second and third with a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt.
Fielder then launched his second homer of the game, a solo shot to right, to put the Brewers back in front, 7-6, and the game looked all but over with Trevor Hoffman coming in for the save.
But Hoffman walked three straight batters to load the bases with one out before a fielder's-choice grounder by Julio Lugo tied the game again.
The Cardinals had been playing with fire all afternoon, and it finally caught up with them in the 10th, when the Brewers put two runs across the board to head into their offseason with a three-game sweep over the division rivals.
But while Milwaukee heads home for the offseason, St. Louis will head to Los Angeles to begin its quest for the franchise's 11th World Series championship.
"It's a fresh start," said shortstop Brendan Ryan. "The way we ended the season and Game 1 [of the NLDS] are two completely separate things. We're excited that we get a fresh start and excited for the postseason. We can't wait. We're just glad to get the regular season over with. We're getting pretty excited.
"The last few years, it seems like if you get hot and stay hot, you can do it. Everyone else has been scuffling too, it looks like, so we're not making too much about it. It's no big deal."
Concerned Cardinals fans should take comfort in knowing that the September tumble closely resembles that of the 2006 team that went on to win the World Series. St. Louis went 3-9 to close out the 2006 regular season before catching fire in the playoffs and winning its 10th World Series title.
The Redbirds will hold an optional workout on Monday afternoon at Busch Stadium before flying to Los Angeles on Monday evening. After a workout at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, the Cards will turn the page on the disappointing finish and send ace Chris Carpenter to the mound in Game 1 against the Dodgers.
Thankfully for them, the score and series will be 0-0.
"They've done what they needed to do to get to the postseason and we've done what we needed to do," Ludwick said. "It's a fresh start for both teams. Everything starts at zero. Wins, losses, ERA, batting average, home runs, RBIs, errors -- everything is flat-lined right now. It's a new start.
"The lights turn on. It's the playoffs. The adrenaline is going to be flowing. Everyone is excited and ready to play. It should be a lot of fun."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Pujols sets first baseman assist mark
ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols may not win his second Gold Glove Award this year, but he set a new defensive record on Sunday afternoon.
With a toss to pitcher Joel Pineiro in the fifth inning of Sunday's game against the Brewers, Pujols set a Major League record for most assists in a season by a first baseman. He set the National League record seven days earlier in Denver.
It was Pujols' 185th assist of the year, passing a record set by Bill Buckner in 1985 with the Red Sox.
"It's a great accomplishment, and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be able to do that," Pujols said. "As a defensive first baseman, or whatever in the infield, my job is to catch the ball and try to do everything that I can. Going to Spring Training, I don't think I was putting it in my mind to try to break the assist record. But my job was to try to be out there and do everything I can to help my ballclub to win."
The slugger has had a strong defensive year in some respects, as evidenced by the record assist total. However, he's also had some difficulties at times. He's racked up 13 errors, his second-highest total since he became a first baseman full-time in 2004.
Pujols won a Gold Glove for his play at first base in 2006.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
ST. PETERSBURG --- There will not be a postseason in Tampa Bay, but there will not be a losing record, either.
The Tampa Bay Rays did take a step back after their magical run to the World Series in 2008, but they didn't slide back into their sorry past.
Tuesday's 3-1 win against the free-falling Baltimore Orioles in front of 10,349, the smallest home crowd of the season, guaranteed that.
It was win No. 81 for the Rays. They need one victory in their final five games to clinch only the second winning season in their 12-year history.
''That's we want to do,'' left fielder Carl Crawford said. ''We want to at least finish on a positive note and have a winning record. Two winning years in a row with this organization never happened, so that's good for us as we continue to move forward as an organization.''
Think the folks in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati would like to trade places with the baseball fans in Tampa Bay? How about those suffering through another lost year in Baltimore?
Put this season before last and the ending would be much different.
''It would have been a good year,'' Crawford said. ''We'd be talking about how good this year is. We can't just get too down on it. Obviously, we didn't make the playoffs. That's what we wanted to do, but we still have a winning record, and next year we have a chance to come back and do it all over again.''
The Rays created their own disappointment by not living up to the preseason mantra, which, numerically looked like this: '09 > '08.
This year was not better than last year for the team that won the American League East division and the American League pennant and, along the way, proved a small payroll club can take down some of the big-money teams with good pitching, a solid bullpen and a strong bench.
''Obviously this season has been a disappointment,'' manager Joe Maddon said. ''We all feel that way. Talk to any of our guys, none of us can watch TV right now. I can't watch SportsCenter. I can't watch the MLB Network. I can't read the papers. I'm really soured by the fact that we did not get back, because I truly believe we could have.''
Rays rookie Wade Davis earned his second win of the season Tuesday when he pitched seven innings of seven-hit ball, retiring the last 10 batters he faced.
Crawford stole his 60th base, which is a career-high and a team record.
Rookie infielder Reid Brignac had a pair of hits, including a double. Ben Zobrist continued to drive in runs. His first inning RBI double was his sixth RBI in his last three games. B.J. Upton, moved to the leadoff spot with Jason Bartlett taking the night off, had a double, drove in the final run with a sacrifice fly and made another ''Wow! Did you see that?'' catch in left-center field.
Maddon is glad to see the disappointment surrounding a winning season. It means expectations are high when they concern his team.
''I want the level of expectations raised annually,'' Maddon said. ''That's a good thing.''
(c) The Bradenton Herald.
Lincecum approaching Giants' K record
PHOENIX -- The Big Freak about to take down Big Six?
San Francisco right-hander Tim "The Freak" Lincecum is bearing down on one of the oldest records on Major League books, Christy "Big Six" Mathewson's franchise mark of 267 strikeouts for the 1903 New York Giants.
The National League's reigning Cy Young Award winner will take 247 strikeouts into his start vs. Chicago this weekend, one of his remaining two scheduled starts.
But Giants manager Bruce Bochy held out the remote possibility of juggling Lincecum into a third outing -- which would enhance his shot at the record, an opportunity Lincecum would welcome.
"I could do that," he said of making a third start on short rest, "but only if it was in the best interest of the team."
Lincecum was surprised to be told he was nearing the century-old record -- startling considering he finished only two shy of Mathewson's mark last season, when he led the Majors with 265 strikeouts.
"Wow. I was not aware of that," he said. "I don't even know what the record is."
Informed, Lincecum said, "So 268 would break it?"
Given the Giants' rich pitching history -- in both New York and, since 1958, in San Francisco -- it is remarkable that Mathewson's mark has survived for so long. Carl Hubbell, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Jason Schmidt -- through the years, none of them has come particularly close. Among that quartet, Schmidt was the high with 251 strikeouts in 2004.
"That's a lot of strikeouts, and sounds like the record has been around for a long time," Lincecum said. "Whatever happens happens, but, sure, that's something that could be really special."
Lincecum's most recent start came Sunday in Los Angeles, after which 13 games and 14 days remained on the Giants' schedule. Making a third start would require Lincecum to go on three days' rest -- something he has never done in his three seasons with the Giants.
Would Bochy accomodate such a record pursuit?
"It would depend on how that second [remaining] start went and on our situation," said Bochy, whose club entered Tuesday night's game against the D-backs trailing Colorado by four games in the NL Wild Card race, with 12 games to go. "I wouldn't risk anything at this point just to reach a goal like that.
"We still have a chance, and that's what we're looking at, not being concerned with personal goals."
On his way to finishing with 265 strikeouts last season, Lincecum did not have the same scheduling flexibility. Indeed, he started the Giants' season-ending game against the Dodgers, striking out 13 in seven innings.
Some inflammation in his lower back caused Lincecum to miss one start earlier this month -- a scratch that could again make him fall just shy of Mathewson.
Can Lincecum topple the 106-year-old record in those two remaining starts? Sure -- he has often notched 20-plus strikeouts in successive starts during his brief career.
And even if he falls short, Lincecum can always claim to be the most economical strikeout master in the Giants' long history. He has worked 211 1/3 innings thus far this season. When Big Six posted that 267 in 1903, it took him 366 1/3 innings.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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