Lemahieu, Soto batting champs in peculiar year
D.J. Lemahieu became the first major leaguer to win undisputed batting titles in both leagues and Juan Soto the youngest National League champion as MLB’S shortest regular season since 1878 ended Sunday.
Home runs were down from last year’s record level in a mini-season of diminished offense. The .245 big league batting average entering the final day was the the lowest since .237 in 1968 and down from .252 last year.
Indians ace Shane Bieber finished with a 1.63 ERA, the lowest figure to lead the American League since Luis Tiant’s 1.60 for Cleveland in 1968, a year of pitching dominance that caused officials to lower the mound the following year.
The average time of a nine-inning game set another new high, at 3 hours, 8 minutes, 2 seconds entering Sunday, up from 3:05:35 last year.
Lemahieu hit .364 for the New
York Yankees, the highest for an AL batting champion since Minnesota’s Joe Mauer hit .365 in 2009 and well ahead of 2019 AL batting champion Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox, who finished second at .322. Lemahieu won the NL batting title with Colorado in 2016.
He became the fourth Yankee to lead the majors in batting average after Lou Gehrig in 1934, Joe Dimaggio in 1939 and Mickey Mantle in 1956.
Luke Voit joined Babe Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez as Yankees to top the majors in home runs. Voit’s total of 22 was the fewest for a major league leader since 1918 at the end of the dead ball era but extrapolates to 59 over a full season.
Lemahieu and Voit became the first teammates to win batting and home run titles in the same season since the Milwaukee Braves’ Hank Aaron (.355) and Eddie Mathews (46) in 1959.
Soto batted .351 for Washington and at 21 years, 11 months, 2 days became the youngest NL batting champion. He surpassed Pete Reiser, who was 22 years, 195 days when he won for Brooklyn in 1941.
Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna led the NL with 18 homers and 56 RBIS. Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox led the majors with 60 RBIS after topping the AL last year with 123.
■ Red Sox: Ron Roenicke was told he will not return as manager, ending a one-year, shotgun stopgap that ended with a last-place finish in the AL East.
Hired on the eve of spring training after Alex Cora was implicated in Houston’s sign-stealing scandal, Roenicke, 64, took over a roster that soon would shed 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts and 2012 AL Cy Young winner David Price. Injured ace Chris Sale never threw a pitch for the team this year.
■ Braves: Outfielder Ronald
Acuna Jr. (left wrist irritation) was scratched from Atlanta’s lineup. The 22-year-old, who was sidelined Aug. 12-25 with soreness in the same wrist, batted .250 with 14 homers and eight steals this season. He is expected to play Wednesday in the Braves’ playoff opener, manager Brian Snitker said.
Also, left-hander Max Fried (7-0, 2.25 ERA), removed from his final regular-season start Wednesday after twisting his left ankle, was cleared to pitch the playoff opener.
■ Marlins: Center fielder Starling Marte exited Miami’s game at New York after being hit by a 95-mph in the helmet. The 31-year-old left the field on his own power and was diagnosed with a left ear contusion.
■ Dodgers: Right-hander Walker Buehler (1-0, 3.44 ERA) will start the first game and left-hander Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.16) the second in
Los Angeles’ opening playoff series, manager Dave Roberts said.
■ Cardinals: Right-hander Dakota Hudson will undergo Tommy John surgery Monday, the team said. The 26-year-old had a 2.77 ERA over eight starts in 2020 after going 16-7 with a 3.35 ERA last season.