NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has overcome injury and tragedy to win his third AL MVP award.Trout got 17 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Thursday night. Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros was second with the other 13 first-place votes. That duo combined for all the first- and second-place votes.Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger made it an LA sweep, beating out the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich for the NL prize. Bellinger got 19 of 30 first-place votes, Yelich got 10, and Washington’s Anthony Rendon got one while finishing third. Yelich won the award last year.Trout had season-ending foot surgery in September. The outfielder played just 134 games but still set a career high with 45 homers. He batted .291, led the majors with a .438 on-base percentage and drove in 104 runs. It was just enough to avoid another second-place finish — he’s tied for the record with four runner-ups.The 28-year-old shined even... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has overcome injury and tragedy to win his third AL MVP Award.Trout got 17 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Thursday night. Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros was second with the other 13 first-place votes. That duo combined for all the first- and second-place votes.Trout had season-ending foot surgery in September. The outfielder played just 134 games but still set a career high with 45 homers. He batted .291, led the majors with a .438 on-base percentage and drove in 104 runs.The 28-year-old shined even following the death of close friend and teammate Tyler Skaggs on July 1. Trout smashed a 454-foot homer wearing Skaggs’ No. 45 in the team’s first game back, when LA pitchers threw a combined no-hitter.Trout is the 10th three-time MVP and joins an elite group: Barry Bonds, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Mike Schmidt. Bonds is the only player with more than three MVPs — he won seven.Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger beat out the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich for the NL prize. Yelich won the award last year.___Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger has beaten out the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich to win NL MVP.Bellinger got 19 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Thursday night. Yelich got 10 first-place votes, and Washington’s Anthony Rendon got one while finishing third.The 24-year-old Bellinger and his loose, left-handed swing launched 47 home runs with a .305 average, 115 RBIs and a 1.035 OPS.He was the best player on the NL’s top team in the regular season, propelling Los Angeles to 106 wins. He’s the 10th different Dodgers player to win MVP and first since Clayton Kershaw in 2014.Bellinger teared up after learning he’d been chosen, getting emotional especially after hugging his father — former big leaguer Clay Bellinger.The AL prize was set to be awarded later Thursday.___Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Alex Bregman will try to give the Houston Astros an unprecedented sweep.If the All-Star slugger is selected the American League’s Most Valuable Player when voting results are announced Thursday, the Astros will become the first team to have an MVP, Cy Young Award winner and Rookie of the Year in the same season. Justin Verlander took Cy Young honors, and Yordan Álvarez was a unanimous pick as the AL’s top rookie.Mike Trout is probably Bregman’s top competition, and the National League MVP figures to come down to Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers or Christian Yelich of the Brewers, with Anthony Rendon of the Nationals also a worthy finalist.Both MVP races were impacted by injuries. Trout was having another spectacular year for the Los Angeles Angels when right foot problems ended his season early. He did not play after Sept. 7 and was limited to 134 games.Trout still finished with a career-high 45 home runs, along with a .291 batting average, 104 RBIs, 110 runs and a 1.083 OPS. Trout won MVP... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander has a second AL Cy Young Award — and a clear path paved toward Cooperstown.Verlander beat out Houston Astros teammate Gerrit Cole in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Wednesday night. Verlander got 17 first-place votes to 13 for Cole, who became a free agent after the season.Mets ace Jacob deGrom won the NL prize for the second straight year. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, becoming the 11th pitcher to win Cy Youngs in consecutive years. He and Verlander are the 20th and 21st players to win the award multiple times.The 36-year-old Verlander won his first Cy Young in 2011 with Detroit, when he was also named MVP. Since then, he’d been a runner-up three times.“The adversity I went through puts a new perspective on everything,” he said. “I mean, still would’ve liked to have won a couple of them.”Verlander continued a marvelous second act to his career since a 2017 trade from Detroit to Houston. He led the majors with... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander has a second AL Cy Young Award — and a clear path paved toward Cooperstown.Verlander beat out teammate Gerrit Cole in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Wednesday night. Verlander got 17 first-place votes to 13 for Cole, who became a free agent after the season.Mets ace Jacob deGrom won the NL prize for the second straight year. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, becoming the 11th pitcher to win Cy Youngs in consecutive years. He and Verlander are the 20th and 21st players to win the award multiple times.The 36-year-old Verlander won his first Cy Young in 2011 with Detroit, when he was also named MVP. Since then, he’d been a runner-up three times.“The adversity I went through puts a new perspective on everything,” he said. “I mean, still would’ve liked to have won a couple of them.”Verlander continued a marvelous second act to his career since a 2017 trade from Detroit to Houston. He led the majors with 21 victories and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander has a second AL Cy Young Award — and a clear path paved toward Cooperstown.Verlander beat out teammate Gerrit Cole in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Wednesday night. Verlander got 17 first-place votes to 13 for Cole, who became a free agent after the season.Mets ace Jacob deGrom won the NL prize for the second straight year. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, becoming the 11th pitcher to win Cy Youngs in consecutive years. He and Verlander are the 20th and 21st players to win the award multiple times.The 36-year-old Verlander won his first Cy Young in 2011 with Detroit, when he was also named MVP. Since then, he’d been a runner-up three times.“The adversity I went through puts a new perspective on everything,” he said. “I mean, still would’ve liked to have won a couple of them.”Verlander continued a marvelous second act to his career since a 2017 trade from Detroit to Houston. He led the majors with 21 victories and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander has a second AL Cy Young Award — and a clear path paved toward Cooperstown.Verlander beat out teammate Gerrit Cole in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Wednesday night. Verlander got 17 first-place votes compared to 13 for Cole, who became a free agent after the season.Mets ace Jacob deGrom won the NL prize for the second straight year. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, becoming the 11th pitcher to win Cy Youngs in consecutive years. He and Verlander are the 20th and 21st players to win the award multiple times.The previous repeat winner was Washington’s Max Scherzer in 2016 and ’17. Scherzer finished third this season, a slot behind the Dodgers’ Hyun-Jin Ryu.Verlander continued a marvelous second act to his career since a 2017 trade from Detroit to Houston. He led the majors with 21 victories and padded his Hall of Fame resume by getting his 3,000th strikeout in his final start of the regular season. He also reached... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, Houston third baseman Alex Bregman and Oakland shortstop Marcus Semien are finalists for the AL MVP award.Trout is seeking his third MVP after winning in 2014 and '16. He finished second in 2012, '13, '15 and '18.Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger and Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich are the top three for the NL honor. Yelich won last year's NL MVP award with 29 of 30 first-place votes.Houston's Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander are finalists for the AL Cy Young Award along with Tampa Bay's Charlie Morton, the Baseball Writers' Association of America said Monday. Verlander won the 2011 Cy Young with Detroit, when he also was voted MVP.New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award after getting 29 of 30 first-place votes last year. He is competing with Washington's Max Scherzer and the Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu. Scherzer is a three-time Cy Young winner.Mets... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, Houston third baseman Alex Bregman and Oakland shortstop Marcus Semien are finalists for the AL MVP award.Trout is seeking his third MVP after winning in 2014 and '16. He finished second in 2012, '13, '15 and '18.Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger and Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich are the top three for the NL honor. Yelich won last year's NL MVP award with 29 of 30 first-place votes.Houston's Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander are finalists for the AL Cy Young Award along with Tampa Bay's Charlie Morton, the Baseball Writers' Association of America said. Verlander won the 2011 Cy Young with Detroit, when he also was voted MVP.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):11:10 p.m.Stephen Strasburg outdueled fellow ace Justin Verlander, overcoming a shaky start to give the Washington Nationals a 12-3 victory Wednesday night and a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series.Kurt Suzuki hit a tiebreaking homer in what became a messy six-run seventh inning and the Nationals are headed back to Washington.The Nationals have won 18 of 20 overall with the last two over Cy Young favorites Gerrit Cole and Verlander.Game 3 is Friday night when Aníbal Sánchez opposes Houston's Zack Greinke.___10:50 p.m.The Washington Nationals are three outs away from a 2-0 lead in the World Series before even playing a game at home.Adam Eaton pulled a deep two-run homer down the right field line in the eighth inning, and Asdrúbal Cabrera had an RBI single as the Nationals stretched their lead to 11-2 going into the ninth.Unless there is a huge comeback for the Astros in the ninth, the Nationals will become the 56th team... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):10:50 p.m.The Washington Nationals are three outs away from a 2-0 lead in the World Series before even playing a game at home.Adam Eaton pulled a deep two-run homer down the right field line in the eighth inning, and Asdrúbal Cabrera had an RBI single as the Nationals stretched their lead to 11-2 going into the ninth.Unless there is a huge comeback for the Astros in the ninth, the Nationals will become the 56th team to win the first two games in a World Series. The last 11 teams to do that have gone on to win the title, including Boston last season — and 44 of 55 overall (80 have gone on to be champions.The Nationals entered the game on their best 19-game stretch in team history, going 17-2 since Sept. 23.___10:21 p.m.Things only got worse for the Astros after Justin Verlander left.Verlander gave up Kurt Suzuki's tiebreaking homer to lead off the seventh and was done after walking Victor Robles.In came reliever Ryan Pressly,... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):10:21 p.m.Things only got worse for the Astros after Justin Verlander left.Verlander gave up Kurt Suzuki's tiebreaking homer to lead off the seventh and was done after walking Victor Robles.In came reliever Ryan Pressly, whose right knee has been giving him trouble for months. What followed was a messy display of baseball, perhaps the poorest of the season for the Astros, and at the worst time.Washington wound up scoring six times in all and taking an 8-2 lead, helped by a grounder that Alex Bregman couldn't handle cleanly and another ball the All-Star third baseman threw away.One other notable thing: The Astros issued their first intentional walk of the year. Manager AJ Hinch went the whole season without calling for one but put rookie Juan Soto on with two outs and runners on second and third.It was 3-2 at that point. Soon, the Nationals were up by six and fans were starting to file out of the stadium.___9:55 p.m.Justin Verlander... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):9:55 p.m.Justin Verlander is done two batters into the seventh inning, and the Houston Astros ace won't get his first World Series victory.The right-hander departed Game 2 with the Astros down 3-2 to the Nationals, who are looking to take a 2-0 series lead.Manager AJ Hinch made the pitching change after Kurt Suzuki opened the seventh with a tiebreaking homer and Verlander then walked No. 9 hitter Victor Robles.Verlander entered the game 0-4 with a 5.67 ERA in his first five World Series starts, with Houston and Detroit.___9:45 p.m.Kurt Suzuki homered in the top of the seventh to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead Wednesday night in Game 2.The Astros had threatened against Washington's Stephen Strasburg in the sixth when Yuli Gurriel doubled with one out and Yordan Álvarez took two balls, then was intentionally walked.Carlos Correa hit a humpback liner to second, dropping to 8 for 49 in the postseason. Kyle Tucker pinch hit for Robinson... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):9:10 p.m.Game 2 of the World Series remains tied at 2-2 after five innings — like it has been since both teams scored in the first.Even while getting runners on base every inning, the Nationals have gotten only one of them past first off Justin Verlander since Anthony Rendon, the third batter of the game, had a two-run double.After Trea Turner had a leadoff single in the Washington fifth, Adam Eaton grounded into a double play. Shortstop Carlos Correa fielded the hard grounder right near second, stepped on the bag and threw to first.Verlander has thrown 56 of his 83 pitches for strikes. His five strikeouts have pushed his postseason career total to an MLB-record 201, and he has walked two.Washington starter Stephen Strasburg has six strikeouts without a walk. He has allowed only three more hits since Houston had three consecutive one-out hits in the first. He has thrown 56 of 86 pitches for strikes.___8:41 p.m.Justin Verlander... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):8:41 p.m.Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg both have settled in nicely through four innings. They haven't given up a lot since each gave up two runs in the first.Aiming for his first World Series win, Verlander at least ensured his place on future blooper reels. Rushing to field Ryan Zimmerman's tapper toward the third base side, he slipped — he tried to make a throw, but it hit his left leg and harmlessly bounced away, giving Zimmerman an infield single.The veteran pros each smiled. Even in a tense matchup, it's still a kid's game.___8:25 p.m.Houston threatened in the third inning, putting runners at the corners. Shortstop Trea Turner bobbled and then bounced his throw to first for an error on José Altuve's two-out grounder and Michael Brantley singled to right.Alex Bregman grounded to shortstop on the next play for a forceout.Washington's Stephen Strasburg gave up four hits in the first three innings, striking out four... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):8:25 p.m.Houston threatened in the third inning, putting runners at the corners. Shortstop Trea Turner bobbled and then bounced his throw to first for an error on José Altuve's two-out grounder and Michael Brantley singled to right.Alex Bregman grounded to shortstop on the next play for a forceout.Washington's Stephen Strasburg gave up four hits in the first three innings, striking out four and walking none. He threw 58 pitches: 25 two-seam fastballs, eight four-seamers, 15 curveballs and 10 changeups.Houston's Justin Verlander was at 51 pitches through three innings throwing 24 fastballs, 18 sliders, eight curveballs and one changeup. He allowed four hits and one walk with four strikeouts.Washington's Juan Soto, playing his last game as a 20-year-old, doubled with two outs in the third for the Nationals' fourth hit. Soto was stranded when Howie Kendrick popped out, dropping the Nationals to 1 for 5 with runners in scoring... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the World Series (all times local):7:55 p.m.Justin Verlander has become the first pitcher with 200 career strikeouts in the postseason.The Houston Astros starter has four strikeouts through the first two innings against the Nationals, and the game is tied at 2-2.After the first three Nationals in the game reached base, and two of them scored, Verlander struck out four of the next six.John Smoltz, the big right-hander who was working the game on the Fox television broadcast, had been the postseason leader with 199 strikeouts.Washington starter Stephen Strasburg has three strikeouts through the first two innings.___7:50 p.m.Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers are both second-time winners of the Hank Aaron Awards that recognize the most outstanding offensive performer in each league.Yelich took home the National League honor for the second year in a row. Trout also won the American League's award in 2014.The awards... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers are hoping Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas will be back next season after the team made back-to-back playoff appearances for just the second time in franchise history.Grandal and Moustakas have mutual contract options. Grandal, who led NL catchers with 28 homers, is likely to decline his $16 million option, and Moustakas could be a free agent for the third straight offseason if either side declines the infielder's $11 million option."I don't think it's particularly controversial that I'd love to have both of them back," Brewers general manager David Stearns said Friday. "They are two very good players that fit with our organization and our team very well. Whether the realities of the free agent market permit that is something we will have to evaluate as we go through the offseason."Milwaukee finished second in the NL Central this year with an 89-73 record. The Brewers played the last part of the season without slugger Christian Yelich, who broke... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich watched helplessly from the dugout as Milwaukee’s season ended.The Brewers controlled the first 7 1/3 innings of Tuesday’s NL wild-card game in Washington before a stunning collapse. All-Star closer Josh Hader was wild, and Milwaukee got stung by a disputed hit-by-pitch, a broken-bat base hit and an error by overaggressive rookie right fielder Trent Grisham. Minutes later, the Nationals wildly celebrated their 4-3 victory on the infield while the Brewers _ pummeled by injuries, especially down the stretch _ limped into the offseason.“I think when all the dust settles and you really evaluate the year, we can be proud of a lot of things,” Yelich said. “I really think we'll be better off for a lot of those experiences.”Yelich overcame lingering back issues to put himself in contention for a second straight NL MVP before a foul ball broke his right kneecap Sept. 10. Fellow outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun battled through leg injuries in the last week,... [More]