Tigers' Justin Verlander Named AL MVP

NEW YORK - Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander was named American League MVP Monday, earning 13 of the 28 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Verlander, who was named the AL Cy Young winner last week, became the first pitcher to win an MVP Award since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 and the first starting pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986.

The Tigers' hurler beat out Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who finished second and third in the voting, respectively. Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson finished fourth, while Verlander's teammate Miguel Cabrera came in fifth.

The MVP and Cy Young awards capped a remarkable season for Verlander, who went 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA in 34 starts, leading the Tigers to the AL Central crown with 250 strikeouts in 251 innings.

The 28-year-old right-hander led the majors in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and opponents' batting average, while topping the AL in ERA. He tossed the second no-hitter of his career on May 7 and flirted with several others over the course of the season.

Verlander was the 12th pitcher in major league history to complete a pitching Triple Crown, leading the AL in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He was the third Tigers pitcher to be awarded both the Cy Young and MVP in the same season, joining Denny McLain and Guillermo "Willie" Hernandez, who accomplished the feat in 1968 and 1984, respectively.

Verlander was the ninth Tigers player to win an MVP Award, joining some of the games greatest names, including Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane and two-time Detroit winners Hank Greenberg and Hal Newhouser.

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