Yankees' Judge wins American League MVP award
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who belted an American League record 62 home runs, was named baseball's AL Most Valuable Player on Thursday, ahead of Angels star Shohei Ohtani. Judge broke Roger Maris's iconic single-season AL home run record, leading Major League Baseball not only in homers but also runs-batted-in (131), total bases (391) and runs scored (133). In what was expected to be a tight race for the honour with 2021 MVP Ohtani, Judge – who powered the Yankees to the AL East title – received 28 first-place votes and Ohtani two in balloting of 30 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).  St. Louis Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt took the National League prize. Goldschmidt won the NL award for the first time after a couple of close calls earlier in his career. The first baseman garnered 22 of 30 first-place votes and eight seconds for 380 points from a separate BBWAA panel. The 35-year-old Goldschmidt batted .317 with 35 home runs, 115 RBIs and a league-leading .981 OPS this season. He had 41 doubles and scored 106 runs while compiling a .404 on-base percentage and topping the league in slugging percentage (.578). (Agencies)_____________________________
Last updated: 2022-11-18 HKT 11:17 