Clayton Kershaw will need to find a little more room to his already crowded trophy case.
Just one day after garnering a third career Cy Young Award in unanimous fashion, the Los Angeles Dodgers ace became the first pitcher in 46 years to be named the National League's Most Valuable Player.
Kershaw's win was part of a Southern California sweep of Major League Baseball's most prestigious honor, with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout unanimously claiming top honors in the American League after runner-up finishes to Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera in each of the previous two years.
Trout was not to be denied this time, putting together a sensational all- around 2014 campaign to easily outdistance another Tiger, Victor Martinez, for the award. The five-tool superstar was named first on all 30 ballots cast for a total of 420 points to become the 10th unanimous selection in AL history.
The NL race was a bit closer, with Kershaw earning 18 first-place votes and 355 points to fend off challenges from Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and 2013 league MVP Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Stanton finished atop eight ballots and accumulated 298 points, with McCutchen capturing the other four first-place votes and taking in 271 points.
Kershaw is the first NL hurler to win the award since St. Louis' Bob Gibson in 1968 and only the 11th pitcher in MLB history to pull off the Cy Young-MVP double in a season. The Tigers' Justin Verlander was the last to do so in 2011.
The soft-spoken left-hander is also the first Dodgers' MVP since Kirk Gibson back in 1988.
Trout, who turned 23 on Aug. 7, is the third-youngest AL winner and first unanimous choice since Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997. Oakland Athletics pitcher Vida Blue was 22 when he captured the award in 1971, while Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. turned 23 on Aug. 24 when named MVP in 1983.
Only two Angels, Don Baylor in 1979 and Vladimir Guerrero in 2004, had previously won the AL MVP.
[SportsNetwork.com]
