Dodgers and Angels Unveil Joint Billboard Highlighting MVPs Kershaw and Trout

DODGERS AND ANGELS UNVEIL JOINT BILLBOARD HIGHLIGHTING MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim jointly unveiled a billboard today celebrating the 2014 Most Valuable Player Awards of Dodger left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Angels center fielder Mike Trout. Located on the corner of Highland and Wilshire in Los Angeles, the billboard features the faces of Kershaw and Trout with the script “Is Your MVP Red Or Blue.”

2014 represented just the 11th occurrence in the 83-year history of the BBWAA MVP awards in which players from the same market captured their league’s respective honors (see chart below). Kershaw and Trout are the first duo to accomplish the feat since the 2002 season when Oakland’s Miguel Tejada and San Francisco’s Barry Bonds were tabbed as MVPs, and it is just the third such occurrence in the last 55 years.

Beginning today, the Angels and Dodgers are inviting fans to celebrate the Los Angeles clubs sweeping the MVP awards via social media. Fans can show their support by utilizing the hashtags #MVPKersh and #MVPTrout during a six-week period leading up to the annual “Freeway Series,” which takes place at Angel Stadium April 2-3 and Dodger Stadium April 4.

Kershaw, 26, led the Majors with 21 wins, going 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 239 strikeouts in his 27 starts. The southpaw also led the Majors with a 0.86 WHIP and six complete games, while ranking among the N.L. leaders in strikeouts (3rd), opponents’ batting average (.196, 2nd), shutouts (2, T-3rd) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.71, 1st). The Dodgers posted a 23-4 record in Kershaw’s 27 starts, including a 14-1 mark in his 15 starts of 8.0 or more innings. Kershaw was the first National League pitcher to be honored as MVP since St. Louis’ Bob Gibson in 1968 and just the fourth N.L. pitcher in the Cy Young era (since 1956) to win the award.

Trout completed the 2014 campaign batting .287 with 115 runs scored, 39 doubles, nine triples, 36 home runs and 111 RBI. The Angels center fielder set career highs in home runs (T4th in A.L.), RBI (1st in A.L.) and extra base hits (84, 1st in A.L.) and matched his career bests in doubles (6th in A.L.) and triples (3rd in A.L.). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, at 23 years and 52 days old at the end of the season, Trout is the third youngest A.L. player ever to win the award behind only Oakland’s Vida Blue (22 years, 64 days) and Baltimore’s Cal Ripken Jr. (23 years, 39 days).

Since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and the Angels’ inception in 1961, the two clubs have combined to produce eight Most Valuable Players, the second-most by teams in the same metropolitan area (SF/OAK – 17).

MVP WINNERS FROM THE SAME MARKET

SEASON CLUBS A.L. MVP N.L. MVP

2014 LAA/LAD Mike Trout Clayton Kershaw

2002 OAK/SF Miguel Tejada Barry Bonds

2000 OAK/SF Jason Giambi Jeff Kent

1959 CWS/CHC Nellie Fox Ernie Banks

1956 NYY/BRO Mickey Mantle Don Newcombe

1955 NYY/BRO Yogi Berra Roy Campanella

1954 NYY/NYG Yogi Berra Willie Mays

1951 NYY/BRO Yogi Berra Roy Campanella

1941 NYY/BRO Joe DiMaggio Dolph Camilli

1936 NYY/NYG Lou Gehrig Carl Hubbell