Sully Baseball endorses Alan Trammell for the Hall of Fame

Barry Larkin is almost certain to be elected to the Hall of Fame in about a week. He was the best National League shortstop for a decade. He was a Cincinnati native who spent his whole career with the Reds (not really a Hall of Fame factor but makes for an uncluttered plaque.)

A former MVP, winner of 9 Silver Sluggers, 3 Gold Gloves, he had a lifetime .815 OPS with power, speed and help lead the Reds to the 1990 World Series title.

And yet Alan Trammell has virtually the same resume and is considered a long shot at best.

Each played roughly the same amount of games.

Larkin - 2,180

Trammell - 2,293

Each hit close to the same amount of homers (with Larkin playing in a more home run friendly stretch.)

Larkin - 198

Trammell - 185

Their OPS+ were right around the same level

Larkin - 116

Trammell - 110

Both won multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers.

Trammell would have matched Larkin's MVP if the voters went with him instead of George Bell like many thought they should have in 1987.

Both had a solid 6 or 7 year peak in the center of their career.

And Trammell, along with Cal Ripken, transformed the shortstop position from an All Field No Hit position to a power one, paving the way for Barry Larkin and the great shortstops of the 1990s and 2000s.

I still don't understand WAR, but only 68 non pitchers have a higher WAR all time than Trammell. Right behind him are Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Pee Wee Reese.

If I ever get around to figuring out WAR, that will impress the Hell out of me.

But his World Series MVP in 1984 and his cameo on Magnum P.I. impressed me enough to give him a second, third and fourth look.

Larkin deserves a spot in the Hall. As does Tim Raines. I've always been a big fan of Trammell's Tiger teammate Jack Morris but I am resigned to the fact that he won't get in.

But I hope Trammell gets some votes and some momentum. The next bunch of years will be some of the least fun ballots in Hall of Fame history.

Bonds and Clemens will be on soon and mixing it up with Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire et al to make for some awful "Should steroid users be in the Hall?" debates.

Maybe someone like Trammell can benefit from that. A guy to vote for while that ugliness is going on.

And if so, take a look at his career.

It is no charity case.

It's a compelling one.

Verlander deserved it... so did Pedro

I got a text message when Justin Verlander won the MVP from my Red Sox fan buddy Kenny Mack (a brilliant writer in his own right.)

It just said "Pedro is upset."

He wasn't the only Red Sox fan who expressed anger about Verlander winning the MVP as a starting pitcher when Pedro Martinez was snubbed in 1999.

Yes I know Pedro's season was superior to Verlander's and Pudge Rodriguez should not have that trophy on his mantle.

But instead of grumbling that Pedro getting hosed should mean EVERY starting pitcher should be disqualified, why not say "Pedro opened their eyes."

The mentality that only an all time great season (in the middle of the Steroid Era no less) is the bar for a starting pitcher to win the MVP is no different than the insanity of not putting in a Hall of Famer unanimously because "If Ruth didn't get 100% of the vote than nobody should."

Seriously, Pedro deserved it. We all know that. And not the VOTERS know that. It's kind of like when Morgan Freeman didn't win the Oscar for The Shawshank Redemption but later won for Million Dollar Baby. Obviously that was a makeup call.

Well this is a make up call as well. As if the voters are saying "Sometimes the most valuable plater IS a starting pitcher."

Which big game everyday player made a bigger impact that Verlander? The Red Sox collapse prevents Jacoby Ellsbury from winning. Jose Bautista had a great year, but was it so great to wipe out a mediocre season by the Blue Jays? Miguel Cabrera? He had a great season to be sure and would probably be my #1 choice outside of Verlander.

But sometimes the most valuable player can be a starting pitcher.

Obviously there are his tremendous stats.

Obviously he saved the bullpen so many nights.

And of course the key to winning any division is to win lots of 3 game series.

And Verlander pitched twice every six games, which put the Tigers in a great position to have at least one win in each series.

And yeah, a hitter has 600-700 plate appearances while a starter only pitches in 35 games.

But Verlander FACED 969 batters. Isn't that kind of like 969 plate appearances? Except he can't take a seat after each one.

I get it, pitchers have the Cy Young Award and that should be enough.

Most years it is. Most years the player who made the biggest impact is indeed an everyday player.

Some years it is a starting pitcher.

In 1986 Clemens was the MVP. He deserved it.

I believe Hershiser had a huge argument for it in 1988.

Sorry Barry Larkin, but Greg Maddux was the NL MVP in 1995.

Pedro deserved it over Pudge Rodriguez in 1999.

And Verlander earned it this year. If he didn't win, I wouldn't have been upset. But he did and I think it was a smart vote.

And it was NOT a snub of Pedro.

It showed the voters were educated by him.

What do I want for the playoffs? 40 GAMES!

Last night's victory by the Cardinals was the 29th playoff game played this year. Between the 4 Division Series, the ALCS and the NLCS, the tally so far has been 29 games.

And both LCS are still up in the air. The Tigers can win today and the Brewers could win tomorrow and we'd have a pair of 7th games.

Now keep this in mind. In 2007, between the 4 Division Series, ALCS, NLCS and World Series, only 28 games were played... total.

Three of the Division Series were sweeps. The NLCS and the World Series were both sweeps.
Only the Indians 4 game victory over the Yankees and the Red Sox 7 game ALCS clinching kept the post season from being the minimum. (I could be generous and say there were 29 post season games by including the Padres and Rockies one game playoff.)

The MAXIMUM number of possible post season games is 41.
That's if all Division Series, the ALCS, NLCS and World Series all go the distance.

That's impossible this year because the Rays and Rangers series went 4 and not 5 games.
But the other three Division Series went the full 5 and there is the possibility of both LCS going all 7.

The maximum number of games that can be played this post season is 40.
And THAT'S what I am rooting for.
Two LCS being decided by one game and the World Series going 7.

Now, because I wonder about things like this, I tried to see how many games each post season went since the Wild Card was introduced.

2007 was the quickest post season with 28.
The longest? That would be 2003 when 2 Division Series and both LCS went the distance.

In 1998 and 2009, not a single post season series had a winner take all deciding game.

Here are how the post seasons unfolded.

1995 31 games. 1 Division Series went the distance.
1996 32 games. NLCS went the distance.
1997 34 games. 1 Division Series and World Series went the distance.
1998 30 games. No series went the distance.
1999 31 games. 1 Division Series went the distance.
2000 31 games. 1 Division Series went the distance.
2001 35 games. 3 Division Series and the World Series went the distance.
2002 34 games. 2 Division Series and the World Series went the distance.
2003 38 games. 2 Division Series, the NLCS and ALCS went the distance.
2004 34 games. 1 Division Series, the NLCS and ALCS went the distance.
2005 30 games. 1 Division Series went the distance.
2006 30 games. NLCS went the distance.
2007 28 games. ALCS went the distance.
2008 32 games. ALCS went the distance.
2009 30 games. No series went the distance.
2010 32 games. 1 Division Series went the distance.


So unless you are from Texas or St. Louis or have a friend or family member on the Rangers or Cardinals, root for the Tigers and Brewers in Game 6. Let's have some 7 game series.

It's been 9 years since a World Series went 7 games. It's been 3 years since the ALCS went 7 and 5 years since the NLCS had 7.

Let's have 40 post season games for the first time ever.
Trust me, it will be fun.

Don't look now... But We've Got An ALCS!!!!

Oh it wasn't Verlander's prettiest outing.

It wasn't one to send to Cooperstown.

But I am THRILLED that pitch counts were thrown into the toilet.

Pitch counts? If the Tigers lost today EVERY pitcher would have a lot of rest. So have Verlander throw until his arm falls off.

So back to Texas the series goes. I am rooting for the Tigers but what I am REALLY rooting for is 7 games.

I want a 7th game to go into extras.

And in order for that to happen, there needs to be a Detroit victory in Game 6.

So come on, people!

Unless you are from Texas or have a friend on the Rangers, root hard for the Tigers. A 7th game for the ALCS might wake a few people up and realize that the REAL baseball news isn't Jon Lester eating chicken.

It's the Rangers and the Tigers... one game away from being a classic.

Who should win the ALCS MVP?

It's a tough call.

Nobody is really stepping up.

Someone needs to show some good power numbers and some clutch at bats.

I really can't think of anyone who is a front runner.

Hmmmm.

Scott Feldman needs a stat to give him credit for yesterday's game

There were so many heroes in yesterday's wonderful 11 inning showdown between the Tigers and Rangers. Obviously Nelson Cruz going with for 4, driving in 5 of the Rangers 7 runs with a 7th inning game tying homer and an 11th inning walk off grand slam would make him a pretty safe pick for "Player of the Game."

Ryan Raburn hit a go ahead 3 run homer for Detroit.

Max Scherzer pitched a solid 6 innings for the Tigers, especially after his shaky first.

Miguel Cabrera started a dramatic bases loaded double play to save the game.

Neftali Feliz worked out of an extra inning jam.

Reliever Mike Adams got the win. He pitched a scoreless 11th striking out 2. But if you watched the game, you saw the pitching star was Rangers reliever Scott Feldman.

He came in the third after Derek Holland's wildness result in Raburn's homer and a blown lead.

What did Feldman do?

He gave the Rangers 4 1/3 shutout innings from the pen.

The starter couldn't last 3 but the rest of the Rangers wonderful pen wasn't needed until the 8th.

And neither Ogando, Feliz, Gonzalez nor Adams were really stretched last night and could probably pitch in Game 3 today.

So Feldman doesn't get the start.

He doesn't get the win.

He doesn't get a hold.

He doesn't get a save.

He gets gotch.

Sure he gets to have a low ERA and nice stats. But there SHOULD be a stat, shouldn't there?

A "Hey Nice Game!" Stat.

A "He saved the bullpen" Stat.

A "Let's not let this go unnoticed" Stat.

Not sure how it will work.

Then again, I created the whole "Teeth Grinder vs. Dodged Bullet" ratio in the regular season.

Maybe I'll figure out the "Nice Job" stat as well.

The least I can do is make sure there is at least one blog post out there written about him.

And if you Google "Did Scott Feldman Have A Good Game In Game 2 Of The 2011 ALCS?" you should find this article.

It's tied going into the 9th in Texas...

You can't ask for more than this.
3-3 in the 9th.

If you aren't paying attention to the playoffs because you are NOT from St. Louis, Milwaukee, Texas or Detroit then TURN IT ON! You are missing some good baseball.

THE DIVISION SERIES MVP... updated for 2011

Once again, I think it is NUTS that there is no MVP for the Division Series. Some player helped put their team into the Championship Series. Why not give them a nice trophy for their trouble?

The staff here at Sully Baseball would like to remedy this problem by awarding our OWN Division Series MVP and each year (starting in 2008) we have had the honor of awarding THE DIVISION SERIES MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS..

In 2009 I included the MVPs for the 1981 Divisional Playoffs as well. Why not?

And now there are four new Division Series MVPs, whose post season heroics will NOT go unnoticed here!

THE DIVISION SERIES MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS

2011
American League

DELMON YOUNG, Detroit Tigers

Young batted .316 and hit 3 homers, including the game winning shot in Game 3 and a crucial homer in the first inning of the clinching Game 5.

His OPS of 1.170 led the team as the Tigers eliminated the Yankees.




MIKE NAPOLI, Texas Rangers

Sure, Adrian Beltre's 3 homers in the clincher were amazing. But Napoli's 2 run homer in Game 3 turned the tide of the series for good in favor of the Rangers.

Napoli also drove in 2 runs in the Rangers come from behind win in Game 2.

In all, Napoli batted .357 with an OPS of .971 and helped take the momentum away from the surging Rays.


National League

YOVANI GALLARDO, Milwaukee Brewers

Won Game 1 with a solid 8 inning performance where he struck out 9 while letting up only 4 hits, 1 run and 1 walk.

Then pitched 6 innings of 1 run ball in the Game 5 clincher and would have received the win if Axford hadn't blown the save.

In all he pitched 14 innings to a 1.29 ERA, walking only 3 while striking out 14.

CHRIS CARPENTER, St. Louis Cardinals

He pitched poorly in his game 2 start and nearly put the Cardinals in an 0-2 hole. But he redeemed himself in the deciding Game 5.

Facing Roy Halladay in a do or die game, Carpenter faced borderline impossible odds. And Halladay was up to the task with his 8 innings 1 run performance. But Carpenter gave the Cardinals one more inning and one fewer run. His 3 hit complete game shutout stunned the Phillies and pulled off one of the great upsets in Division Series history.

He also won this fake award in 2006.
2010
American League

CURTIS GRANDERSON, New York Yankees

Was the spark plug in the Yankees 3 game sweep of the Twins. Smacked a go ahead 2 run triple in Game 1, went 3-4 with an RBI in Game 2 and set up a key run in Game 3 with a walk and a steal.

He finished the series with a .455 average and an OPS of 1.227.

Joins Edgar Martinez, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez as a recipient of my fake award twice and the first to do it with two different franchises.


CLIFF LEE, TEXAS RANGERS

Beat the Rays and David Price twice, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.12 ERA, 22 strikeouts and no walks in 16 innings of work.

He threw a complete game masterpiece in the final Game 5 in Tampa Bay to clinch the Rangers first ever post season series.

Like Granderson, he becomes a second time winner and the first to do it in both leagues.

National League

ROY HALLADAY, Philadelphia Phillies

Pitched his way into baseball history by throwing the second no hitter in post season history with his 4-0 masterpiece in Game 1 against the Reds.

The Reds would score only 4 runs all series as Halladay set the tone.


TIM LINCECUM, San Francisco Giants

Threw a complete game 2 hit shutout in Game 1 and pitched under pressure against the Braves all game.

The Giants bats were dead but "The Franchise" made sure their 1-0 lead was enough.


2009
American League

ALEX RODRIGUEZ, New York Yankees

Twins fans have no clue what people are referring to when A-Rod is called an October choker. After almost single handily eliminating Minnesota in 2004, A-Rod dominated once again in 2009.

He batted .455 with an OPS of 1.500 in the three game sweep, driving in 6 runs. But also showed a flair for the dramatic. He crushed a 9th inning game tying homer off of All Star closer Joe Nathan in the wild Game 2. And then hit another game tying shot in the 7th inning of the clinching Game 3.

All this after driving in 1 run in his previous 16 playoff games combined!



BOBBY ABREU, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Abreu's numbers were eye popping enough in the Angels' sweep over the Red Sox.

He batted .556 with an OPS of 1.470. But his 2 out 2 strike RBI double in the 9th inning of Game 3 brought the Angels to within 1 run and set up the dramatic Vlad Guerrero 2 run single.


National League

CLIFF LEE, Philadelphia Phillies

As I wrote earlier, Lee's Game 1 was a tour de force. He threw a complete game, got a hit and stole a base.

And while he didn't get the win in the Game 4 clincher, he pitched into the 8th inning holding the Rockies to 3 runs in Coors Field... no small feat.

ANDRE ETHIER, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ethier hit an even .500 with a 1.905 OPS in the Dodgers startling three game sweep of the Cardinals.

He homered in the Game 2 come from behind win and hit a 2 run homer in the Game 3 clincher that helped break the Cardinals' back.

2008
American League


JASON BAY, Boston Red Sox
Bay batted .412 with a .882 slugging, 2 homers and 5 runs batted in during his first post season. But that only tells part of his impact in the Red Sox 4 game victory over the favored Angels.

His 6th inning 2 run homer put the Angels on their heels seemingly for the rest of the series.
His 3 run shot in the first inning gave the Red Sox a 4-1 cushion early.
And he scored the series winning run after his 1 out 9th inning flair bounced into the stands for a ground rule double.


AKINORI IWAMURA, Tampa Bay Rays

Yes, Evan Longoria's home runs were almost as sexy as Eva Longoria. But Iwamura hit a key triple in game 1, hit the go ahead homer in game 2, gave the Rays an early lead with a single in game 3 and went 2-5 in the game 4 clincher against the White Sox.

In all, Iwamura batted .389 with a .722 slugging in the series.





National League

MANNY RAMIREZ, Los Angeles Dodgers
As if his numbers weren't gaudy enough (2 homers, a .500 average and a 1.743 OPS in the stunning three game sweep of the Cubs) his presence was even a bigger threat.

With 2 outs and a 2 run lead, Ryan Dempster walked Ramirez in the 5th inning... which set up the James Loney grand slam.

Manny simply changed the series by being Manny.




BRETT MYERS, Philadelphia Phillies
Any hope for the Milwaukee Brewers winning the Division Series hinged on the left arm of CC Sabathia. Not only did he beat Sabathia in the 5-2 Phillies win in game 2, but his gritty at bat in the second inning where he kept fouling off two out two strike pitches to ultimately coax a walk set up Shane Victorino's game winning grand slam.

Myers 7 inning, 2 hit performance loomed even larger when the Brewers won the next game but were eliminated in game 4.






2007
American League

DAVID ORTIZ, Boston Red Sox
Everyone remembers Manny standing at home plate after his walk off homer in game 2... but that was set up by the intentional walk to Big Papi.

Ortiz hit .714 with an OPS of 2.417 in the three game sweep of the Angels. Plus he hit homers in games 1 and 3.




GRADY SIZEMORE, Cleveland Indians
Batted .375 with an OPS of 1.212 from the lead off spot.
Scored the tying run on Joba Chamberlain's insect inspired wild pitch and hit the lead off home run in game 4 that sunk the Yankees 3 games to 1.





National League


STEPHEN DREW, Arizona Diamondbacks
Hit a key homer off of Carlos Zambrano in game 1 and doubled and scored in the heart breaking first inning at Wrigley.

Finished the three game sweep of the Cubs at an even .500 with an OPS of 1.643 and 4 RBI




KAZ MATSUI, Colorado Rockies
Matsui erased a 1 run deficit with a 2 out 4th inning grand slam in game 2. The Phillies never recovered and were swept away in 3.
He also hit a 2 out RBI triple in the clinching third game.
In the end he batted .417 with a 1.583 OPS.






2006
American League



FRANK THOMAS, Oakland Athletics
With his 2 home runs in game 1 (including one off of Johan Santana) Thomas crushed the Minnesota Twins' late season momentum and turned the series into a surprising 3 game sweep.

In the end, Thomas batted .500 with an OPS of 1.783




CURTIS GRANDERSON, Detroit Tigers
An o-fer in the fourth and final game of the Tigers upset over the Yankees made his numbers less eye popping than some of his teammates. (Especially Carlos Guillen's .571 average and 1.625 OPS.) But make no mistake, it was Granderson who hit the key home runs, started the key rallies and basically drove the Yankees nuts.

By the time he went 0-5 in the finale, the Yankees were already reeling.


National League

CARLOS DELGADO, New York Mets
Delgado went 4-5 in his first ever post season game, including a home run and the game winning hit in the 7th inning.

He finished the series with a .429 Average and a 1.072 OPS.










CHRIS CARPENTER, St. Louis Cardinals
Went 2-0 in the 4 game upset of San Diego.
Pitched 7 strong innings in the game 4 clincher












2005
American League

BENGIE MOLINA, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Hit the game tying single and then a key home run in game 2 and then homered off of Randy Johnson in the game 3 win in Yankee Stadium.

In all he batted .444 with an OPS of 1.418 with 3 homers and 5 RBI in the Angels 5 game win over the Yankees.





A. J. PIERZYNSKI, Chicago White Sox
Pierzynski homered twice in the 14-2 game 1 rout of the Defending Champion Red Sox.
Doubled to lead off the 9th inning of game 3 and scored a critical insurance run to complete the 3 game sweep.

Finished with a .444 average and a 1.878 OPS.




National League


LANCE BERKMAN, Houston Astros
Batted .357 with 5 RBI in Houston's 4 game victory over the Braves.

Brought the Astros back to within one in game 4 with an 8th inning grand slam. The Astros would tie the game in the 9th and go on the 18 inning marathon before clinching on Chris Burke's homer.






REGGIE SANDERS, St. Louis Cardinals
Sanders drove in an incredible 10 runs in the three game sweep of the San Diego Padres.
6 of those runs were driven in game 1 with a 2 run single and a grand slam.









2004
American League


DAVID ORTIZ, Boston Red Sox
Pretty cut and dry choice here.
Ortiz hit .545 with a 1.688 OPS for the three game sweep of the Angels... and ended the series with a dramatic 2 out 2 run walk off 10th inning home run that sent Fenway into a frenzy.









ALEX RODRIGUEZ, New York Yankees
A-Rod's first foray into Yankee playoff baseball was an unqualified success.

He batted .421 with an OPS of 1.213 in the 4 game victory over the Twins. He drove in 3 runs in the extra inning game 2 victory including a one out game tying double in the 12th. In the clinching game 4, he doubled in the 11th, stole third and scored what would be the series winning run on a wild pitch.

Between his heroics against the Twins and his .368 average with a 1.244 OPS in the first 4 games against Boston, A-Rod's post season legacy in New York looked down right heroic. He never found his playoff mojo again until 2009.





National League

EDGAR RENTERIA, St. Louis Cardinals
In a line up full of power threats like Pujols, Walker, Rolen, Edmonds and Sanders, it was Renteria who put up the biggest numbers. He batted .455 in the 4 game victory over Los Angeles with a 1.236 OPS.

Hit key RBI double in game 1, a big RBI single in the clincher and seemed to be involved in rallies throughout the series.




CARLOS BELTRAN, Houston Astros
Beltran's spectacular cameo in Houston included blasting 4 home runs in the Astros' 5 game victory over Atlanta. 2 of those homers took place in the do or die game 5.

In all, Beltran's amazing salary drive included a .455 average, a 1.591 OPS, 4 home runs and 9 RBI





2003
American League


ANDY PETTITTE, New York Yankees
Down 1-0 to the Twins, Pettitte pitched a solid game 2 and held Minnesota off long enough for the Yankees to rally for 3 7th inning runs to win the game.

The Yankees responded by winning the next two games in Minneapolis, but who knows how the series would have unfolded if New York was down 0-2?




TODD WALKER, Boston Red Sox
Smashed 3 home runs in the 5 game series with Oakland, including one in a possible elimination game 4 that brought the Red Sox to within 1.

He picked up the slack for the slumping Ortiz and Ramirez with a .313 average and a 1.228 OPS.
Now someday I'll understand why Grady kept pulling him in the late innings.


National League


IVAN RODRIGUEZ, Florida Marlins
Sure his numbers in the Marlins 4 game victory over the heavily favored Giants were great (.353, 6 RBI, 1.038 OPS) but his flair for the dramatic was even better.

His 2 out 2 run walk off single capped a come from behind rally to win a critical game 4 in 11 innings. His collision at the plate with Yorvit Torreabla allowed himself to score the go ahead run and let an important insurance run come home as well.

And the series ended with J. T. Snow crashing into home with the potential tying run, but Pudge held onto the ball and ended the series.





KERRY WOOD, Chicago Cubs
Facing the 101 win Atlanta Braves, Kerry Wood pitched road victories for game 1 and the clinching game 5.

He pitched into the 8th inning striking out 11 in game 1.
He then threw 8 innings letting up only 1 run in the clincher... the only post season series victory for the Cubs since 1908.





2002
American League


TIM SALMON, Anaheim Angels
Drove in 7 runs in the shocking 4 game upset of the Yankees. His 2 run double started the Angels come back rally from a 6-1 game 3 deficit.









BRAD RADKE, Minnesota Twins
Won game 1 and the clinching game 5 in Oakland as the Twins stunned the heavily favored A's.

Finished the series with a 2-0 record with a 1.54 and only one walk in his two starts.




National League


FERNANDO VINA, St. Louis Cardinals

Gave the Cardinals unbelievable production from the top of the order as they swept the defending champion Diamondbacks in 3 games.

He finished with a .600 average and an OPS of 1.225 and was always on base as sluggers like Pujols and Edmonds slugged the Cardinals past Johnson and Schilling.

RUSS ORTIZ, San Francisco Giants
Won the opener of the series on the road in Atlanta by pitching 7 solid innings letting up only 2 runs and 5 hits.

Came back to win the clinching game 5, pitching into the 6th inning letting up a single run as the Giants upset the Braves.






2001
American League


DEREK JETER, New York Yankees
His .444 average and .976 OPS would be enough for consideration... but his miracle flip play to nail Jeremy Giambi at the plate probably prevented an Oakland sweep.

He made a crashing catch into the stands for good measure.







ICHIRO SUZUKI, Seattle Mariners
Batted .600 with a 1.269 OPS in the 5 game victory over Cleveland. Got 12 hits in the short series including a key RBI hit in the series saving 7th inning rally in game 4.








National League
CURT SCHILLING, Arizona Diamondbacks
Schilling threw complete game victories in game 1 and the clinching game 5 over the St. Louis Cardinals. He let up a total of 9 hits and only 2 walks while striking out 18 to a 0.50 ERA.







CHIPPER JONES, Atlanta Braves
Jones' 3 run 8th inning homer gave the Braves the lead in game 1 and they never looked back in their sweep of the Houston Astros.

Jones finished the series with a .444 average, a 1.694 OPS, 2 homers and 5 RBI/










2000
American League

MARIANO RIVERA, New York Yankees
With the Yankees stumbling into the 2000 playoffs, the 2 time defending champs looked vulnerable to the upstart A's. Joe Torre needed to call on Rivera to come into the 8th inning three different times.

In game 2, Rivera came in the 8th with the tying run at the plate and got out of the jam.
In game 3, started the 8th and pitched 2 shut out innings for the save.
In the game 5 clincher, Rivera came in with the tying run at the plate and only one out and finished the game without letting up a run.

In all, Rivera let up no runs, no walks and only 2 hits in 5 innings as he saved all 3 wins.



EDGAR MARTINEZ, Seattle Mariners
Martinez hit a 2 run game winning 10th inning home run off of White Sox pitcher Keith Foulke.
In all, Martinez hit .364 with a 1.189 OPS in the three game sweep of the White Sox.







National League



JIM EDMONDS, St. Louis Cardinals
Batted .571, homered twice, drove in 7 runs and finished with an OPS of 1.886 as the Cardinals massacred the Braves in 3 games.












BOBBY JONES, New York Mets
With the Mets up 2-1 in the series after two thrilling extra inning wins over San Francisco, Jones shut down the Giants once and for all in the game 4 clincher.

Jones let up a double to Jeff Kent and a walk to J.T. Snow in the 5th inning... but was perfect in the other 8 as his 1 hit complete game shutout crushed the Giants and propelled the Mets to the NLCS.






1999
American League

ORLANDO HERNANDEZ, New York Yankees
Blink and you would miss the 1999 division series between the Rangers and the Yankees. The tone of the series was set early by El Duque who shut down the mighty Rangers to only 2 hits over 8 shut out innings in the opener.

The Rangers would score a single run in the SERIES as they were swept in 3.


PEDRO MARTINEZ, Boston Red Sox
Yes Nomar got some big hits... and Valentin drove in 12 runs in the 5 game series against the Indians... and O'Leary's 2 homers sealed the deal.

But the spectre of Pedro loomed over this entire series.
When Pedro got hurt in game 1 after throwing 4 shut out innings, it gave the Indians a fighting chance.
And when he came in the 4th inning as a reliever in the deciding 5th game, their fate was sealed.

Pedro threw 6 no hit innings to finish the series and combined for 10 innings, only 3 hits and 11 strikeouts.


National League


KEVIN MILLWOOD, Atlanta Braves
Millwood let up a second inning home run to Houston's Ken Caminiti in game 2. He didn't allow a hit nor a walk for the rest of the game as he threw a complete game one hitter.

That performance would be enough for consideration but the next game, he came out of the bullpen and threw a 1-2-3 12th for the save.

The Braves would clinch the next day.



EDGARDO ALFONZO, New York Mets
"Fonzie" homered 3 times in the 4 game victory over the Diamondbacks. His second one was a 9th inning grand slam that put the Mets ahead and set the tone for the series.

He would finish the series with a 1.243 OPS and helped turn 5 double plays.







1998
American League

SHANE SPENCER, New York Yankees
Spencer didn't even start the first game of the three game sweep of the Rangers.
But he hit the go ahead homer in game 2 and put the clinching game 3 away with a three run shot...
giving him a .500 average and a 2.000 OPS.


KENNY LOFTON, Cleveland Indians
Lofton finished the series with a .375 average and a 1.225 OPS including 2 homers in the 4 game series win over the Red Sox.
His single and stolen base set up the 2 run rally that gave the Indians the 2-1 series ending victory in game 4.

He also hit the go ahead run in Cleveland's game 2 victory and homered to put the Indians ahead for good in game 3.



National League


JOHN SMOLTZ, Atlanta Braves
Smoltz threw into the 8th inning, letting up only 1 run, 5 hits and walking none as the Braves slowed down the Cubs momentum and took control of the series early.

Despite a scare in game 2, the Braves would go on to sweep.






KEVIN BROWN, San Diego Padres
Out dueled Randy Johnson in a thrilling game 1 showdown. Brown went 8 innings letting up only 2 hits and no runs while striking out 16 in the Padres 2-1 victory.

Combined with his game 3 start where he threw into the 7th inning, Brown had a 0.61 ERA in 14 2/3 innings while striking out 21 as the Padres beat the Astros in 4.






1997
American League

SANDY ALOMAR, JR, Cleveland Indians
Batted .316 with 2 homers, 5 RBI and an OPS of 1.000 in the Indians tense 5 game victory over the Yankees.

But no hit was bigger than his game tying home run off of Mariano Rivera with the Indians just 4 outs from elimination in game 4.
Cleveland would go on to win games 4 and 5 by one run each.



MIKE MUSSINA, Baltimore Orioles
Out pitched Randy Johnson at the Kingdome for game 1 and then beat him again in the clinching game 4 in Camden Yards.

Finished the 4 game series with a 2-0 record, a 1.93 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 14 innings as the Orioles beat the star studded Seattle team for a trip to the ALCS.



National League

GREG MADDUX, Atlanta Braves
Astros pitcher Darryl Kile held the mighty Braves to only 2 hits and 2 runs in the opening game in Atlanta.
And it wasn't good enough as Greg Maddux threw a complete game and held the Astros to a single run. Having avoided the Astros biggest threat, the Braves swept Houston in 3.






GARY SHEFFIELD, Florida Marlins
Finished the 3 game sweep of the Giants with a .556 average, an OPS of 1.714.
Homered in the game 2 win and always seemed to be on base as the Marlins won 3 heart stopping games.











1996
American League


BERNIE WILLIAMS, New York Yankees
Truth be told, I almost gave this to Juan Gonzalez... who hit 5 homers in 4 games for the Rangers and was a one man wrecking crew. But I couldn't give it to a player on the losing team! I just couldn't.

Besides, Bernie did his share of damage... including scoring the tying run in game 2, driving home the tying run in the 9th inning of game 3 and homering twice in the come from behind game 4 clincher.



B. J. SURHOFF, Baltimore Orioles
Surhoff homered twice in game 1 and finished the series with 3 homers, a .385 average and an OPS of 1.462 as the Orioles stunned the defending AL Champion Indians in 4 games.







National League


JOHN SMOLTZ, Atlanta Braves
In a series dominated by pitching, nobody pitched better than Smoltz who shut the Dodgers down to 1 run over 9 innings in the opening game. Smoltz would get the victory as the Braves won in 10 and would sweep Los Angeles despite hitting only .180 for the series.



DENNIS ECKERSLEY, St. Louis Cardinals
In a tight series where all three games could have gone either way, Eck came through with 3 save, letting up no runs in 3 2/3 innings as the Cardinals swept the Padres.









1995
American League

EDDIE MURRAY, Cleveland Indians
Batted .385 in the three game sweep of the Red Sox.

In game 1 hit a go ahead single in the 8th.
In game 2, his 2 run shot put the game away.
In game 3, he singled twice, walked twice and scored twice in the clincher






EDGAR MARTINEZ, Seattle Mariners

Yes Griffey homered 5 times in 5 games and yes Big Unit won 2 of the Mariners 3 games against the Yankees... but it was Edgar Martinez's grand slam that set up the mind boggling game 5... and it was Edgar Martinez's 2 run double that won the series for the Mariners.

His numbers, .571 average, 1.000 slugging, an OPS of 1.667, 10 RBIs in 5 games, would merit the award even without his flair for the dramatic.


National League


CHIPPER JONES, Atlanta Braves

Marquis Grissom had gaudier numbers, but Jones' home run won game 1 against the Rockies... and he seemed to be driving in runs or scoring runs in every big Braves rally in a series that was a lot closer than it had any business being.





HAL MORRIS, Cincinnati Reds
Batted an even .500 in the three game sweep of the Dodgers.
He drove in the first 2 runs of a 4 run first inning outburst in game 1 that set the tone for the series.
Started the rally in the 6th inning of game 3 that knocked Nomo out of the game and put the game (and the series) out of reach.

And now for the MVPs for the 1981 Division Series held after the strike.

1981

American League

OSCAR GAMBLE, New York Yankees

Gamble batted .556 with a 1.933 OPS in the 5 game victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

His homer off of Moose Haas tied Game 1.

Then in the clinching Game 5, Gamble homered off of Haas again to put the Yankees up for good, sending them back to the ALCS.

STEVE McCATTY, Oakland A's

Billy Martin had his starters work out of their own jams... and his #2 starter got into a whopper of a jam against the Defending A.L. Champion Royals in Game 2.

Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the 8th, McCatty let the first two batters reach. Instead of going to the pen, Martin let McCatty face Amos Otis, Hal McRae and Clint Hurdle. He worked out of the jam and then finished his complete game victory giving the A's a 2-0 series lead.

National League

JERRY REUSS, Los Angeles Dodgers

With the Dodgers down 0-1 to the Astros, Reuss came up big in Game 2 throwing 9 shutout innings scattering 5 hits. Unfortunately for Reuss, Joe Niekro shut down the Dodgers as well and the Astros won it in 11 innings.

In the deciding Game 5, Reuss got the ball again. He threw 9 shutout innings again, but this time the Dodgers pulled off a 6th inning rally to take the lead. His complete game shutout clinched the series that he finished with 18 scoreless innings.

STEVE ROGERS, Montreal Expos

Rogers had the daunting task of facing the era's best pitcher, Steve Carlton, in Game 1 of the Division Series. Rogers let up 10 hits but only 1 run over 8 2/3 innings to get the win.

In the do or die on the road Game 5 against the defending World Champs, Rogers was again matched up against Carlton.

He was up for the task, throwing a complete game shut out, getting Mike Schmidt, Gary Matthews and Manny Trillo out in order to clinch the series and end the Phillies' dreams of repeating as World Champions.

Another year, another update.

I need to find a way to get these guys their award!