NEW YORK (AP) — Tampa Bay outfielder Randy Arozarena won the Babe Ruth award as postseason MVP in voting by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Arozarena hit .377 with 10 homers, 14 RBIs and a 1.273 OPS in 20 postseason games and received 64.3% of the votes Friday in balloting announced Monday to edge Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and shortstop Corey Seager.
Seager was selected MVP of the NL Championship Series and the World Series win over the Rays.
Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu was voted the Sid Mercer/Dick Young New York Player of the Year after batting a major league-leading .364 in the pandemic-shortened season, and New York Mets outfielder/first baseman Dominic Smith earned the Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town Award after hitting .316 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs.
Yankees reliever Zack Britton received the Ben Epstein/Dan Castellano Good Guy Award, and Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton the Joan Payson/Shannon Forde Award for Community Service.
Mike Piazza and Steve Karsay will get the Willie, Mickey & the Duke Award to mark the 20th anniversary of Piazza’s home run for the Mets off the Atlanta reliever at Shea Stadium in the first game following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Karsay grew up near Shea Stadium.
Two pitchers who died in recent months were given the Casey Stengel You Could Look It Up Award, the Yankees’ Whitey Ford for his 1961 season that included a 25-4 record and the Mets’ Tom Seaver for his 1971 season that included a 20-10 record and major league-best 1.76 ERA.
George A. King III, who is retiring as a Yankees beat writer after covering the team for the New York Post since 1997, was voted the William J. Slocum / Jack Lang Award for Long & Meritorious Service.
Anthony Causi, a New York Post photographer who died of COVID-19 on April 12 at age 48, was voted the Arthur & Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart Award. The chapter also voted to create an award named in Causi’s honor that will start in 2022.
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