Install

Get the latest updates as we post them — right on your browser

Today's paper. Last Updated: 05/30/2012

'Big Hurt' Misses Triple Crown, but Grabs MVP

LOS ANGELES -- The players' strike may have deprived Frank Thomas of the opportunity to become the first winner of the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, but it did not prevent the Chicago White Sox first baseman from obtaining a milestone of comparable significance.


In results announced Wednesday, Thomas was voted the American League's Most Valuable Player by a committee of the Baseball Writers Association of America, becoming the 11th player to win the award in consecutive years and the first in the American League since Roger Maris in 1960 and 1961.


Asked if the shorter season diminished the accomplishment, Thomas said it was even sweeter the second time, although he "hated to see the season end like it did because I was having a career year. I felt like I was in a groove all year."


A unanimous winner last year, Thomas received 24 of 28 first-place votes and 372 points. Ken Griffey Jr., the Seattle Mariners center fielder who led the league with 40 home runs and hit .323, was second in balloting, followed by first baseman Albert Belle and outfielder Kenny Lofton, both of the Cleveland Indians.


Thomas, known as the Big Hurt, dominated the league's offensive statistics. He was third in batting at .353, second in home runs with 38 and tied for third in runs batted in with 101. He led the majors with a .487 on-base percentage and led the league with a .729 slugging average.




This article has no comments.

Be the first to leave a comment


Discussion
The Moscow Times welcomes your comments and invites you to discuss topics with other readers. Your comment will be posted automatically to enable a live discussion. If you aren't familiar with our comments policy, you can read it here.

If you're a registered user, you can start typing your comment below. If not, take a moment to sign up. and then return to the article.

If your comment doesn't appear, contact us by using our web form.

Comments

Comments via Facebook



print


Comments

This article has no comments.

Be the first to leave a comment





Most Read
 

17 Years Ago Today a City Was Destroyed

Array
More than 2,000 people were feared dead as rescue workers sifted through the colossal wreckage of the Sakhalin Island town of Neftegorsk on Monday, after a mighty earthquake leveled the area and buried thousands of people under the ruins.