Babe Ruth Award

Babe Ruth Award
The 1958 Babe Ruth Award, won by Elston Howard
Awarded for	Most Valuable Player of the Major League Baseball postseason
Presented by	New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America
First awarded	1949
Currently held by	David Freese, 2011 St. Louis Cardinals

The Babe Ruth Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player with the best performance in the postseason. The award, created by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949 to the MVP of the World Series, one year after Ruth's death. The award 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 precedes the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, which was not created until 1955, the Babe Ruth Award is considered less prestigious, as it is not sanctioned by MLB and is awarded several weeks after the World Series.^[2][3][4]

MLB expanded its postseason to include the League Championship Series (LCS) in 1969 and the League Division Series (LDS) in 1995. The LDS follows a best-of-five playoff format, while the LCS and World Series follow a best-of-seven playoff format.^[4][5] The most recent World Series champions are the St. Louis Cardinals, who won in 2011. David Freese, the most recent recipient of the Babe Ruth Award, also won the NLCS and World Series MVP awards in 2011.^[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. In all, members of the Yankees have won the award sixteen times. Luis Tiant is the only winner 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]

Key

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 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

Winners

Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, a two-time winner

Reggie Jackson won the award in 1977.

Orel Hershiser won the award in 1988.

Derek Jeter (left) won the award in 2000, while Dave Winfield (right) won the award in 1992.

Paul Molitor won the award in 1993.

Cole Hamels won the award in 2008.

Year	Player	Team	Position	Selected statistics[Note 1]	Ref
1949	Page, JoeJoe Page	New York Yankees	Pitcher	1–0 record and 1 save in 3 appearances 2 earned runs allowed in 9 innings pitched 8 strikeouts	[12][13]
1950	Coleman, JerryJerry Coleman	New York Yankees	Second baseman	.286 batting average 3 runs batted in	[10][14]
1951	Rizzuto, PhilPhil Rizzuto	New York Yankees	Shortstop	.320 batting average 1 home run 3 runs batted in	[15][16]
1952	Mize, JohnnyJohnny Mize	New York Yankees	First baseman	.400 batting average .500 on-base percentage 1.067 slugging percentage	[10][17]
1953	Martin, BillyBilly Martin	New York Yankees	Second baseman	.500 batting average .520 on-base percentage .958 slugging percentage	[18][19]
1954	Rhodes, DustyDusty Rhodes	New York Giants	Outfielder	4 hits in 6 at bats 2 pinch hit home runs	[20][21]
1955	Podres, JohnnyJohnny Podres	Brooklyn Dodgers	Pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started; both were complete games 2 earned runs allowed in 18 innings pitched 10 strikeouts	[22][23]
1956	Larsen, DonDon Larsen	New York Yankees	Pitcher	1–0 record in 2 games started; one perfect game—only no-hitter in World Series history[24] 0 earned runs allowed in 10 2⁄3 innings pitched 7 strikeouts	[10][25]
1957	Burdette, LewLew Burdette	Milwaukee Braves	Pitcher	3–0 record in 3 games started; all were complete games 2 earned runs allowed in 27 innings pitched 13 strikeouts	[26][27]
1958	Howard, ElstonElston Howard	New York Yankees	Catcher	.222 batting average 4 runs scored Game-winning single in Game 7	[28][29]
1959	Sherry, LarryLarry Sherry	Los Angeles Dodgers	Pitcher	2–0 record and 2 saves in 4 appearances 1 earned run in 12 2⁄3 innings pitched 5 strikeouts	[30][31]
1960	Mazeroski, BillBill Mazeroski	Pittsburgh Pirates	Second baseman	.320 batting average 2 home runs Series-winning home run in Game 7	[32][33]
1961	Ford, WhiteyWhitey Ford	New York Yankees	Pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started; one complete game 14 scoreless innings pitched 7 strikeouts	[34][35]
1962	Terry, RalphRalph Terry	New York Yankees	Pitcher	2–1 record in 3 games started; two complete games 5 earned runs in 25 innings pitched 16 strikeouts	[10][36]
1963	Koufax, SandySandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers	Pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started; both were complete games 3 earned runs in 18 innings pitched 23 strikeouts	[37][38]
1964	Gibson, BobBob Gibson	St. Louis Cardinals	Pitcher	2–1 record in 3 games started; one complete game 9 earned runs in 27 innings pitched 31 strikeouts	[10][39]
1965	Koufax, SandySandy Koufax (2)	Los Angeles Dodgers	Pitcher	2–1 record in 3 games started; two shutouts 1 earned run in 24 innings pitched 29 strikeouts	[40][41]
1966	Robinson, FrankFrank Robinson	Baltimore Orioles	Outfielder	.857 slugging percentage 2 home runs 3 runs batted in	[42][43]
1967	Brock, LouLou Brock	St. Louis Cardinals	Outfielder	.414 batting average 8 runs 7 stolen bases	[44][45]
1968	Lolich, MickeyMickey Lolich	Detroit Tigers	Pitcher	3–0 record in 3 games started; all were complete games 5 earned run in 27 innings pitched 21 strikeouts	[10][46]
1969	Weis, AlAl Weis	New York Mets	Second baseman	.455 batting average .563 on-base percentage .727 slugging percentage	[47][48]
1970	Robinson, BrooksBrooks Robinson	Baltimore Orioles	Third baseman	.429 batting average 9 hits 6 runs batted in	[49][50]
1971	Clemente, RobertoRoberto Clemente	Pittsburgh Pirates	Outfielder	.414 batting average 12 hits 4 runs batted in	[51][52]
1972	Tenace, GeneGene Tenace	Oakland Athletics	Catcher	.348 batting average 4 home runs 9 runs batted in	[53][54]
1973	Campaneris, BertBert Campaneris	Oakland Athletics	Shortstop	.290 batting average 3 stolen bases in 3 attempts Series-winning home run in 3rd inning of Game 7	[55][56]
1974	Green, DickDick Green	Oakland Athletics	Second baseman	0 hits in 13 at bats Participated in 6 double plays defensively in 5 games Single-game record (tie) 3 double plays in Game 3[57]	[8][58][59]
1975	Tiant, LuisLuis Tiant	Boston Red Sox§	Pitcher	2–0 record in 3 games started 2 complete games 12 strikeouts	[60][61]
1976	Bench, JohnnyJohnny Bench	Cincinnati Reds	Catcher	.533 batting average 8 hits 6 runs batted in	[62][63]
1977	Jackson, ReggieReggie Jackson	New York Yankees	Outfielder	.450 batting average 5 home runs 8 runs batted in	[64][65]
1978	Dent, BuckyBucky Dent	New York Yankees	Shortstop	.417 batting average 10 hits 7 runs batted in	[66][67]
1979	Stargell, WillieWillie Stargell	Pittsburgh Pirates	First baseman	.400 batting average 12 hits 7 runs batted in	[68][69]
1980	McGraw, TugTug McGraw	Philadelphia Phillies	Pitcher	1–1 record and 2 save in 4 appearances 1 earned run allowed in 7 2⁄3 innings pitched 10 strikeouts	[70][71]
1981	Cey, RonRon Cey	Los Angeles Dodgers	Third baseman	.350 batting average 7 hits 6 runs batted in	[72][73]
1982	Sutter, BruceBruce Sutter	St. Louis Cardinals	Pitcher	1–0 record and 2 save in 4 appearances 4 earned runs allowed in 7 2⁄3 innings pitched 6 strikeouts	[74][75]
1983	Dempsey, RickRick Dempsey	Baltimore Orioles	Catcher	.385 batting average 4 doubles 2 runs batted in	[10][76]
1984	Morris, JackJack Morris	Detroit Tigers	Pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started; both were complete games 4 earned runs allowed in 18 innings pitched 13 strikeouts	[10][77]
1985	Saberhagen, BretBret Saberhagen	Kansas City Royals	Pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started; both were complete games 1 earned run in 18 innings pitched 10 strikeouts	[10][78]
1986	Knight, RayRay Knight	New York Mets	Third baseman	.391 batting average 9 hits 5 runs batted in	[10][79]
1987	Viola, FrankFrank Viola	Minnesota Twins	Pitcher	2–1 record in 3 games started 8 earned runs in 19 1⁄3 innings pitched 16 strikeouts	[10][80]
1988	Hershiser, OrelOrel Hershiser	Los Angeles Dodgers	Pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started; both were complete games 2 earned runs in 18 innings pitched 17 strikeouts	[10][81]
1989	Stewart, DaveDave Stewart	Oakland Athletics	Pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started; one complete game 3 earned runs in 16 innings pitched 14 strikeouts	[10][82]
1990	Hatcher, BillyBilly Hatcher	Cincinnati Reds	Outfielder	.750 batting average 9 hits 6 runs scored	[83][84]
1991	Morris, JackJack Morris (2)	Minnesota Twins	Pitcher	2–0 record in 3 games started; one shutout 3 earned run in 23 innings pitched 9 strikeouts	[10][85]
1992	Winfield, DaveDave Winfield	Toronto Blue Jays	Outfielder	Series-winning 2 run batted in double in the 11th inning of Game 6 5 hits in 22 at bats	[10][86]
1993	Molitor, PaulPaul Molitor	Toronto Blue Jays	Designated hitter	.500 batting average 12 hits 8 runs batted in	[10][87]
1994	zzza !Series cancelled due to the players' strike				[10][88]
1995	Glavine, TomTom Glavine	Atlanta Braves	Pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started 2 earned run in 14 innings pitched 11 strikeouts	[10][89]
1996	Fielder, CecilCecil Fielder	New York Yankees	Designated hitter	.379 batting average 9 hits 2 runs batted in	[90][91]
1997	Alou, MoisésMoisés Alou	Florida Marlins	Outfielder	.321 batting average 3 home runs 9 runs batted in	[10][92]
1998	Brosius, ScottScott Brosius	New York Yankees	Third baseman	.471 batting average 8 hits 6 runs batted in	[93][94]
1999	Rivera, MarianoMariano Rivera*	New York Yankees	Pitcher	1–0 record and 2 saves in 3 appearances 4 2⁄3 scoreless innings pitched 3 strikeouts	[10][95]
2000	Jeter, DerekDerek Jeter*	New York Yankees	Shortstop	.409 batting average 9 hits 2 home runs	[96][97]
2001^	Johnson, RandyRandy Johnson	Arizona Diamondbacks	Pitcher	3–0 record in 3 appearances (2 starts); one shutout 2 earned runs in 17 1⁄3 innings pitched 19 strikeouts	[10][98]
2001^	Schilling, CurtCurt Schilling	Arizona Diamondbacks	Pitcher	1–0 record in 3 games started 4 earned runs in 21 1⁄3 innings pitched 26 strikeouts	[10][98]
2002	Glaus, TroyTroy Glaus	Anaheim Angels	Third baseman	.385 batting average 3 home runs 8 runs batted in	[99][100]
2003	Beckett, JoshJosh Beckett*	Florida Marlins	Pitcher	1–1 record in 2 games started; one complete game 2 earned runs in 16 1⁄3 innings pitched 19 strikeouts	[101][102]
2004	Foulke, KeithKeith Foulke	Boston Red Sox	Pitcher	1–0 record and 1 save in 4 appearances 1 earned run allowed in 5 innings pitched 8 strikeouts	[103][104]
2005	Dye, JermaineJermaine Dye	Chicago White Sox	Outfielder	.438 batting average 7 hits 3 runs batted in	[10][105]
2006	Eckstein, DavidDavid Eckstein	St. Louis Cardinals	Shortstop	.364 batting average 8 hits 4 runs batted in	[10][106]
2007	Papelbon, JonathanJonathan Papelbon*	Boston Red Sox	Pitcher	4 saves in 7 appearances 0 earned runs allowed in 9 2⁄3 innings pitched 7 strikeouts	[107][108]
2008	Hamels, ColeCole Hamels*	Philadelphia Phillies	Pitcher	4–0 record in 5 games started 7 earned runs in 25 innings pitched 30 strikeouts	[109][110]
2009	Rodriguez, AlexAlex Rodriguez*	New York Yankees	Third baseman	.365 batting average 6 home runs 18 runs batted in	[2][111]
2010	Lincecum, TimTim Lincecum*	San Francisco Giants	Pitcher	4–1 record in 5 games started 10 earned runs in 37 innings pitched 43 strikeouts	[112][113]
2011	Freese, DavidDavid Freese*	St. Louis Cardinals	Third baseman	.397 batting average 5 home runs 21 runs batted in	[6][114]

See also

Baseball portal

• List of Major League Baseball awards
• Baseball awards

Notes

References

v t e World Series 1884 • 1885 • 1886 • 1887 • 1888 • 1889 • 1890 Adding to maintain spacing between series 1903 • 1904 • 1905 • 1906 • 1907 • 1908 • 1909 1910 • 1911 • 1912 • 1913 • 1914 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 • 1918 • 1919 • 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929 1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 • 2020 • 2021 • 2022 • 2023 • 2024 • 2025 • 2026 • 2027 • 2028 • 2029 No series was held in 1904 because the NL Champions refused to participate; the 1994 Series was canceled due to a players' strike. Pre-World Series champions • World Series champions • Most Valuable Players • Starting Pitchers • Babe Ruth Award • Commissioner's Trophy • Droughts Broadcasters • TV ratings • ALCS • NLCS • ALDS • NLDS • 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake • Temple Cup • Chronicle-Telegraph Cup • Game seven Book:World Series

v t e Babe Ruth Main Babe Ruth's called shot Curse of the Bambino Family Claire Merritt Hodgson Dorothy Ruth Popular culture The Babe Ruth Story The Babe The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs Other Babe Ruth Award Babe Ruth Home Run Award Home Plate Farm Book:Babe Ruth