Four Yankees win TYIB awards

Four Yankees win TYIB awards

Jeter, Wang, Rivera and Cabrera all honored by fans

By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter and Chien-Ming Wang may have placed second in the American League's MVP and Cy Young vote, respectively, but the two Yankees topped the vote in MLB.com's fifth annual This Year in Baseball Awards.

Jeter was named the top hitter in the Majors, beating out 11 of the game's top sluggers, including AL MVP Justin Morneau and NL MVP Ryan Howard.

Wang was voted the game's top starter, edging out Cy Young winners Johan Santana and Brandon Webb, as well as nine other starting pitchers.

Two other Yankees captured TYIB awards as well, as Mariano Rivera earned his third consecutive Closer of the Year Award and Melky Cabrera captured Play of the Year honors.

Jeter ranked second in the American League with a .343 batting average and 118 runs scored, fourth with a .417 on-base percentage and sixth with 34 stolen bases. Jeter also homered 14 times and drove in 97 runs out of the No. 2 spot in New York's lineup.

"To really appreciate the kind of work he does, you have to see him on a regular basis," Yankees manager Joe Torre said last month. "We've had players who have come over from different organizations, and after a month or so, they've come to me and said, 'I always knew he was a good player, but I never realized how good he was.'"

Wang tied Santana for the big-league lead with 19 victories and ranked among the league leaders in several other categories. His .760 winning percentage was third in the AL, his 218 innings pitched were fifth and his two complete games ranked sixth. Wang's 3.63 ERA was eighth in the league. The Yankees went 22-11 in Wang's 33 starts.

Although his strikeout totals paled in comparison to Santana's, Wang made up for it by inducing 33 double plays this season, the second-highest total in the AL behind Jake Westbrook's 36.

Rivera, who also earned the DHL Delivery Man of the Year Award last month, captured Closer of the Year honors for the third time in the three years it has been awarded. He beat out nine of the game's best closers, including Boston's Jonathan Papelbon, San Diego's Trevor Hoffman and Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels.

Rivera notched 34 saves in 37 opportunities, posting a 1.80 ERA. He struck out 55 batters over 75 innings pitched while allowing 61 hits.

Rivera also earned the save in the American League's 3-2 win in the 77th All-Star Game. The save was Rivera's third in the Midsummer Classic, tying him with Dennis Eckersley for the most in Major League history.

Rivera posted solid numbers both on the road and at Yankee Stadium, where he converted all 20 of his save chances with a miniscule 1.51 ERA in 32 games. In 31 games away from the Bronx, Rivera struck out 31 batters while walking just four.

Cabrera joins Jeter as a recipient of Play of the Year, as the shortstop won the award in 2004 for his dive into the stands.

Cabrera didn't go into the stands for his gem, but the rookie did leap over the wall in left-center field at Yankee Stadium, robbing Manny Ramirez of a game-tying home run in the eighth inning of a 2-1 win over the Red Sox on June 6.

"Probably as good a catch as I've ever seen," said Bernie Williams. "Given the situation of the game and just how valuable his play was in the outcome of the game, it was as good as I've ever seen."

Other TYIB winners were Jim Leyland (Manager), Francisco Liriano (Rookie), Joel Zumaya (Setup Man), Albert Pujols (Single-Game Performance), Sean Casey (Blooper), Mike Lowell (Defense) and Endy Chavez (Postseason Moment).

Wang the runner-up in Cy Young vote

Wang the runner-up in Cy Young vote

Yankees ace a distant second to unanimous winner Santana

By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Chien-Ming Wang's breakout season may have earned him the title of the Yankees' ace, but it wasn't enough to overcome Minnesota's Johan Santana in the American League Cy Young Award vote.

Santana captured his second career award with a stellar 2006, earning a unanimous selection. Wang placed second in the vote, followed by Toronto's Roy Halladay, Los Angeles' Francisco Rodriguez and Minnesota's Joe Nathan.

Santana led the AL in wins (19), ERA (2.77), strikeouts (245), innings pitched (233 2/3), opponents' batting average (.216) and WHIP (1.00). Santana also won the Cy Young in 2004.

Wang, who went 19-6, matched Santana for the league-lead in victories, but his 3.63 ERA and 1.31 WHIP were far behind the Twins' ace. Santana received all 28 first-place votes, while Wang received 15 second-place votes and six third-place votes, appearing on 21 of the 28 ballots.

"Wang certainly pitched well enough to be considered in most years," said Dom Amore of The Hartford Courant, who put Wang second on his ballot. "But Santana was the clear-cut No. 1 choice."

Wang is the second Yankees pitcher to finish second in Cy Young voting in the past two years, joining Mariano Rivera, who placed second to Bartolo Colon last fall.

Wang ranked among the league leaders in several categories, as his .760 winning percentage was third in the AL, his 218 innings pitched were fifth and his two complete games ranked sixth. Wang's 3.63 ERA was eighth in the league. The Yankees went 22-11 in Wang's 33 starts.

Sam Borden, who covered the Yankees for The Daily News in 2006, placed Wang second on his ballot between Santana and Roy Halladay.

"Without Santana in the league, I think Wang would have been a very legitimate candidate to win," Borden said. "He's definitely a different type of pitcher, but he was effective throughout the season. I don't think it's fair to penalize him having less strikeouts; he gets outs in his own way and he did it well for most of the year."

Although he averaged just over three strikeouts per nine innings, Wang made up for it by inducing 33 double plays this season, the second-highest total in the American League behind Jake Westbrook's 36.

Wang also got 483 ground balls against just 158 fly balls, a ratio of 3.06-to-1 -- tops in the league.

Expected or not, Wang takes ace role

Expected or not, Wang takes ace role

Sophomore righty on for Game 1 ahead of big-name staffmates

By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Six months ago, it would be hard to have imagined anybody other than Randy Johnson or Mike Mussina getting the nod in Game 1 of the Yankees' postseason.

But when the first pitch is thrown at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, it will come out of the hand of Chien-Ming Wang, New York's unlikeliest of aces.

"I would never think that," Wang said. "I was surprised."

Surprised, but not nervous. At least Wang doesn't think he will be when he takes the mound.

"In the field, no; in here, yes," quipped Wang in front of a packed press gathering.

Even Joe Torre admitted that he wouldn't have envisioned such a scenario before the season.

"I don't think we could have ever dreamed that would be the case," Torre said. "The big part of it is his personality and confidence in himself."

Given that the team nixed Wang's involvement in the World Baseball Classic because of concerns over his right shoulder -- which caused him to miss two months in the second half of 2005 -- it was unthinkable that he would turn into the staff's workhorse.

But that's precisely what happened, as Wang led the Yankees in innings pitched (218) and wins in just his second season. With a 19-6 record and 3.63 ERA, Wang posted the best season of any Yankees starter, earning his Game 1 assignment.

"We always thought he had great stuff -- it was just a matter of having a little better command of the strike zone and not putting himself in tough counts," Mussina said. "He's been able to do that. He does what he needs to do to win ballgames."

Wang, one of only two pitchers in the Majors to record 19 victories this season, will be making his second career postseason start on Tuesday. The Yankees went 22-11 in his 33 starts this season, giving his teammates tremendous confidence in him when he takes the hill.

"He's been our savior," said catcher Jorge Posada. "He's stayed consistent, he's stayed healthy, and for me, he's the Cy Young Award winner."

Wang may not finish at the top of the Cy Young vote, as Minnesota's Johan Santana will likely take home the award for the second time in his career. But Wang and his teammates aren't concerned with individual awards as much as winning the World Series.

"We've leaned on him all year, and he's come up big for us," Derek Jeter said. "We just want him to continue what he's been doing, not try to change anything. If he can do that, I like our chances with him on the mound."

Starting Wang in Game 1 makes perfect sense, given his 11-3 record and 3.03 ERA at Yankee Stadium this season. Should the series go the distance, Wang would also be lined up to pitch Game 5 in the Bronx on Sunday.

Of course, he also went 4-0 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts in domed stadiums, so there wasn't a bad spot in which to line up the right-hander. His only outing against the Twins in 2006 came at the Metrodome on April 16, when he held Minnesota to one earned run over seven innings to earn his first victory of the season.

When pitching coach Ron Guidry informed Wang last week that he would be starting the postseason opener, the 26-year-old right-hander took the news as though Guidry had just told him that he would be throwing a bullpen in an hour.

"Gator told him, and he sort of shrugged his shoulders," Torre said. "I'm sure there will be some butterflies on Tuesday when they start introducing people, but this kid really doesn't let you know how he's feeling. He's certainly behaved well on the field."

Posada estimates that 85 percent of Wang's pitches are sinkers, which Kevin Millar described as "bowling balls" last month. He has pitched at least six innings in 24 of his 33 starts this season, giving the Yankees length in several situations in which the bullpen had been overworked.

Wang's ability to brush pressure aside might be his greatest strength when it comes to this type of assignment. Although his command of the English language has improved during his two years in New York, Wang still doesn't speak it fluently. Because of that, he isn't put under the same media spotlight that his teammates are, allowing him to approach a start of this magnitude like any other outing.

"The way he goes about his business, he knows what he's got to do to be successful," Posada said. "He doesn't get caught up in anything. Every time he goes out there, he's prepared for the job at hand."

"The hype of the first game is what you have to get through, and I don't think it's going to bother him," Mussina said. "I assume he's just going to go out and pitch like he has all year."

Wang will also be able to lean on his experience from last October, when he pitched Game 2 of the Division Series in Anaheim against the Angels. Wang took the loss, allowing four runs -- only one of which was earned -- over 6 2/3 innings.

"I might get a little bit nervous," Wang said. "Last year will help me this year. I'm very excited."

Of course, as Torre likes to point out, how could anyone tell if Wang actually was nervous? The stone-faced pitcher looks the same while he's throwing a shutout as he does when he's getting cuffed around -- though the latter hasn't happened many times this season.

"He's had such a good year and been so consistent doing what he does," Mussina said. "He deserves to pitch the first game whether he's in his second year or his 10th year."

"He's our No. 1," Posada said. "He's the guy we want to follow."