LA Sweep: Bellinger and Trout win MVPs

NEW YORK » 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 firstplace 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. 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 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.

Trout played through the pain of Skaggs’ death and the lingering foot issue, which hampered him for about a month before he chose to have surgery.

“What an emotional months,” he said.

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.

“It’s what you dream of man,” Cody said. last few

ALEX GALLARDO AND MARK J. TERRILL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE The Angels’ Mike Trout, above, was limited to 134 games, but nipped Houston’s Alex Bregman for the AL MVP; the Dodgers Cody Bellinger, below, was the NL MVP in another close race over Milwaukee’s Christian Yellich.