Yesterday the National League Gold Glove awards were given out. Today it was the American League's turn. Among the most notable of the recipients is the Tampa Bay Rays' first baseman, Carlos Pena.
Pena becomes the first player for the Rays to win a Gold Glove. This just caps off a great season for the Rays who not only went from worst to first in the AL East, but also made the World Series, losing in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies. Pena has become known as one of the better homerun hitters in the league, and now he's being recognized for what he does in the field.
In addition to Pena, Texas Rangers' shortstop Michael Young, Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia and Minnesota Twins' catcher Joe Mauer won the first Gold Glove of their career.
The awards for the outfield were repeats from last year with Los Angeles Angels' Torii Hunter and Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki winning a Gold Glove for an eighth straight year and the Cleveland Indians' Grady Sizemore winning his second consecutive award.
Hunter has not made an error since August 31, 2007. He definitely has a flair for the dramatic as he is nicknamed "Spiderman" for the way he climbs the wall in any stadium. The record for Gold Gloves by an outfielder is 10, held by Ken Griffey Jr. and Al Kaline. There's a pretty good chance Hunter and maybe even Ichiro, will break that record, possibly within the next three years if they keep taking the award home year after year as they have been.
The only team in the AL with multiple winners, surprisingly, were the Mariners as Adrian Beltre received the award for the second straight season.
New York Yankees' pitcher Mike Mussina won 20 games this past season for the first time in his career. Now he can add his seventh Gold Glove to his collection of awards.
The awards for Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Cy Young, and Most Valuable Player will be released over the next week or so.
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MLB
gold glove, carlos pena, michael young, dustin pedroia, joe mauer, torii hunter, ichiro suzuki, grady sizemore, adrian beltre, mike mussina