Babe Ruth Award

Major League Baseball award From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Babe Ruth Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player with the best performance in the postseason. The award, created in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949 to New York Yankee pitcher, Joe Page, the MVP of the World Series, one year after Ruth's death. The award was created by the New York City chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It continued to be awarded exclusively for performances in the World Series until 2007, when the New York chapter of the BBWAA changed the award to cover the entire postseason.[1][2] Though it is older than the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, which was not created until 1955 (as the "SPORT Magazine Award"), the Babe Ruth Award is considered less prestigious, because it is not sanctioned by MLB and is awarded several weeks after the World Series.[3][4]

SportBaseball
LeagueMajor League Baseball
Awarded forAnnual most valuable player of the MLB postseason
Presented byNew York City chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America
Quick facts Sport, League ...
Babe Ruth Award
The Babe Ruth Award given to Elston Howard for his performance in the 1958 World Series
The 1958 Babe Ruth Award, won by Elston Howard
SportBaseball
LeagueMajor League Baseball
Awarded forAnnual most valuable player of the MLB postseason
Presented byNew York City chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America
History
First award1949
Most recentYoshinobu Yamamoto
(Los Angeles Dodgers)
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MLB expanded its postseason to include the League Championship Series (LCS) in 1969, the League Division Series (LDS) in 1995, and the Wild Card round in 2012. The Wild Card Series is a best-of-three playoff format, the LDS follows a best-of-five playoff format, and the LCS and World Series follow a best-of-seven playoff format.[4][5] In 2020, the Los Angeles Dodgers, won the 2020 World Series, but Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays was named winner of the Babe Ruth Award.[6]

Ruth was a noted slugger who batted .326 with 15 home runs and three wins in three games started as a pitcher during World Series play.[7] However, the Babe Ruth Award does not only go to sluggers or pitchers. Dick Green won the award for the 1974 World Series, in which he batted 0-for-13, but helped the Oakland Athletics win the series with his defense.[8][9]

Joe Page of the New York Yankees was the first winner of the Babe Ruth Award, and Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox was the first winner since the award criteria changed to cover the entire postseason. In all, members of the Yankees have won the award sixteen times. Luis Tiant and Randy Arozarena are the only winners of the Babe Ruth Award to play for the World Series–losing team. Two players, Sandy Koufax and Jack Morris, have won the award twice.[10]

Winners

Key to table

More information Year, Player (X) ...
Year Links to the article about that corresponding World Series
Player (X) Denotes winning player and number of times they had won the award at that point (if more than one)
^ Indicates multiple award winners in the same year
* Indicates year when player did not win the World Series Most Valuable Player Award (1955–present)[11]
† Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
‡ Denotes player who is still active
§ Indicates losing team in the series
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Table of winners

More information Year, Player ...
Year Player Team Position Selected statistics[Note 1] Ref
1949 Joe Page New York Yankees Pitcher [12][13]
1950 Jerry Coleman New York Yankees Second baseman [10][14]
1951 Phil Rizzuto† New York Yankees Shortstop [15][16]
1952 Johnny Mize† New York Yankees First baseman [10][17]
1953 Billy Martin New York Yankees Second baseman [18][19]
1954 Dusty Rhodes New York Giants Outfielder [20][21]
1955 Johnny Podres Brooklyn Dodgers Pitcher [22][23]
1956 Don Larsen New York Yankees Pitcher [10][25]
1957 Lew Burdette Milwaukee Braves Pitcher [26][27]
1958* Elston Howard New York Yankees Catcher [28][29]
1959 Larry Sherry Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher
  • 2–0 record and 2 saves in 4 appearances
  • 1 earned run allowed over 12+2⁄3 innings pitched
  • 5 strikeouts
 [30][31]
1960* Bill Mazeroski† Pittsburgh PiratesSecond baseman [32][33]
1961 Whitey Ford† New York YankeesPitcher [34][35]
1962 Ralph Terry New York YankeesPitcher [10][36]
1963 Sandy Koufax† Los Angeles DodgersPitcher [37][38]
1964 Bob Gibson† St. Louis CardinalsPitcher [10][39]
1965 Sandy Koufax† (2) Los Angeles DodgersPitcher [40][41]
1966 Frank Robinson† Baltimore OriolesOutfielder [42][43]
1967* Lou Brock† St. Louis CardinalsOutfielder [44][45]
1968 Mickey Lolich Detroit TigersPitcher [10][46]
1969* Al Weis New York MetsSecond baseman [47][48]
1970 Brooks Robinson† Baltimore OriolesThird baseman [49][50]
1971 Roberto Clemente† Pittsburgh PiratesOutfielder [51][52]
1972 Gene Tenace Oakland AthleticsCatcher [53][54]
1973* Bert Campaneris Oakland AthleticsShortstop [55][56]
1974* Dick Green Oakland AthleticsSecond baseman [8][58][59]
1975* Luis Tiant Boston Red Sox§Pitcher [60][61]
1976 Johnny Bench† Cincinnati RedsCatcher [62][63]
1977 Reggie Jackson† New York YankeesOutfielder [64][65]
1978 Bucky Dent New York YankeesShortstop [66][67]
1979 Willie Stargell† Pittsburgh PiratesFirst baseman [68][69]
1980* Tug McGraw Philadelphia PhilliesPitcher [70][71]
1981 Ron Cey Los Angeles DodgersThird baseman [72][73]
1982* Bruce Sutter† St. Louis CardinalsPitcher [74][75]
1983 Rick Dempsey Baltimore OriolesCatcher [10][76]
1984* Jack Morris† Detroit TigersPitcher [10][77]
1985 Bret Saberhagen Kansas City RoyalsPitcher [10][78]
1986 Ray Knight New York MetsThird baseman [10][79]
1987 Frank Viola Minnesota TwinsPitcher [10][80]
1988 Orel Hershiser Los Angeles DodgersPitcher [10][81]
1989 Dave Stewart Oakland AthleticsPitcher [10][82]
1990* Billy Hatcher Cincinnati RedsOutfielder [83][84]
1991 Jack Morris† (2) Minnesota TwinsPitcher [10][85]
1992* Dave Winfield† Toronto Blue JaysOutfielder [10][86]
1993 Paul Molitor† Toronto Blue JaysDesignated hitter [10][87]
1994Series canceled by the players' strike[10][88]
1995 Tom Glavine† Atlanta BravesPitcher [10][89]
1996* Cecil Fielder New York YankeesDesignated hitter [90][91]
1997* Moisés Alou Florida MarlinsOutfielder [10][92]
1998 Scott Brosius New York YankeesThird baseman [93][94]
1999 Mariano Rivera† New York YankeesPitcher [10][95]
2000 Derek Jeter† New York YankeesShortstop [96][97]
2001^ Randy Johnson† Arizona DiamondbacksPitcher [10][98]
Curt Schilling Pitcher [10][98]
2002 Troy Glaus Anaheim AngelsThird baseman [99][100]
2003 Josh Beckett Florida MarlinsPitcher [101][102]
2004* Keith Foulke Boston Red SoxPitcher [103][104]
2005 Jermaine Dye Chicago White SoxOutfielder [10][105]
2006 David Eckstein St. Louis CardinalsShortstop [10][106]
Award changed to cover performance in full post-season
2007* Jonathan Papelbon Boston Red SoxPitcher [107][108]
2008 Cole Hamels Philadelphia PhilliesPitcher [109][110]
2009* Alex Rodriguez New York YankeesThird baseman [2][111]
2010* Tim Lincecum San Francisco GiantsPitcher [112][113]
2011 David Freese St. Louis CardinalsThird baseman [114][115]
2012 Pablo Sandoval San Francisco GiantsThird baseman [116][117]
2013 David Ortiz† Boston Red SoxFirst baseman / Designated hitter [118][119]
2014 Madison Bumgarner San Francisco GiantsPitcher [120][121]
2015* Wade Davis Kansas City RoyalsPitcher [122][123]
2016* Jon Lester Chicago CubsPitcher [124][125]
2017^ Jose Altuve‡ Houston AstrosSecond baseman [126]
Justin Verlander‡ Pitcher [126]
2018* David Price Boston Red SoxPitcher
  • 3–1 record in 6 appearances
  • 23 strikeouts, 10 earned runs allowed over 26 innings pitched
  • Winning pitcher of Games 2 & 5 in the World Series
 [127]
2019^ Juan Soto‡ Washington NationalsOutfielder
  • .277 batting average
  • 5 home runs
  • 14 runs batted in
 [6]
Stephen Strasburg Pitcher
  • 5–0 record
  • 1.98 ERA
  • 47 strikeouts
 [6]
2020* Randy Arozarena‡ Tampa Bay Rays§Outfielder
  • .377 batting average
  • 10 home runs (an MLB record)
  • 64 total bases
 [128]
2021* Freddie Freeman‡ Atlanta BravesFirst baseman
  • .304 batting average
  • 5 home runs
  • 11 runs batted in
 [129]
2022 Jeremy Peña‡ Houston AstrosShortstop
  • .345 batting average
  • 4 home runs
  • 8 runs batted in
 [130]
2023* Adolis García‡ Texas RangersOutfielder
  • .323 batting average
  • 8 home runs
  • 22 runs batted in
 [131]
2024* Mookie Betts‡ Los Angeles DodgersOutfielder
  • .290 batting average
  • 4 home runs
  • 16 runs batted in
 [132]
2025 Yoshinobu Yamamoto‡ Los Angeles DodgersPitcher [133]
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Image gallery

See also

Notes

  1. [1]
    For 1949–2006, statistics are for the World Series only. As the award was changed in 2007 to encompass the entire postseason, statistics from 2007 through the present represent the entire postseason.

References

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