Trout, Bellinger MVPs
Angels star Mike Trout overcame 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 Astros was second with the other 13 first-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 Angels pitchers threw a combined no-hitter.
Trout is the 10th three-time MVP.
Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger beat out the Brewers’ Christian Yelich for the NL prize. Yelich won it in 2018. Bellinger got 19 of 30 first-place votes. Yelich got 10. The 24-year-old Bellinger launched 47 home runs with a .305 average, 115 RBIs and a 1.035 OPS.
MLB’s investigation into illegal sign stealing is expected to expand beyond the 2017 Astros and look into whether other teams, including the 2019 Astros, used technology to aid hitters, ESPN reported. ... The Braves signed All-Star closer Will Smith to a three-year, $39 million contract. Smith, 30, earned 34 saves in 38 opportunities for the Giants last season.
Colleges: Defense Secretary Mark Esper issued new guidelines that will allow athletes attending the nation’s military academies to seek waivers to delay their service and play pro sports immediately upon their graduation. ... Freshman basketball player James Wiseman withdrew his lawsuit against the NCAA, and Memphis declared him ineligible while officials work to resolve the case. The NCAA sidelined Wiseman for receiving impermissible benefits from Penny Hardaway, who coached him in high school before becoming the Memphis coach. Wiseman had obtained a restraining order and played in Memphis’ first three games. ... Freshman Malik Hall hit a layup with 26 seconds to play and scored all 17 of his points in the second half as No. 3 Michigan State overcame a late five-point deficit and beat No. 12 Seton Hall 76-73 in Newark, N.J. Pirates senior Myles Powell scored 37 points less than a week after spraining his ankle.
Golf: Rain postponed the first round of the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, until Friday. ... Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa shot a 9-under 63 to take a three-stroke lead at the European Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa.
Soccer: England, France, Turkey and the Czech Republic qualified for the 2020 European Championship.
Tennis: No. 3 seed Roger Federer beat No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals of the ATP Finals in London.