Major League Baseball 2009 Recap

Major League Baseball 2009 Recap

The year 2009 saw the New York Yankees return to their winning ways, claiming their 27th World Series title in the process. Led by future Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, as well as Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia, the Yankees dominated throughout the postseason, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to bring the championship back to the Bronx.

But the Yankees weren’t the only team making headlines in 2009. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won their third consecutive AL West division title, while the St. Louis Cardinals took home the NL Central crown. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies rounded out the playoff field, making for an exciting October filled with intense matchups.

Of course, no recap of the 2009 season would be complete without mentioning some of the standout performances from individual players. Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins captured his third American League batting title, hitting an impressive .365 on the year. Meanwhile, Albert Pujols of the Cardinals put together one of the greatest offensive seasons in league history, hitting .327 with 47 home runs and 135 runs batted in.

Perhaps the most memorable scene of the season came in early July, when Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th career home run. The milestone blast landed him in an exclusive club alongside legends like Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth.

Another defining moment of the 2009 season came in the final game of the year, when Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was denied a perfect game due to a botched umpire call. The play became an instant classic, highlighting the need for expanded instant replay in the sport.

World Series – New York Yankees AL over Philadelphia Phillies NL 4 games to 2

World Series MVP – Hideki Matsui
Babe Ruth Award – Alex Rodriguez

Championship Series
ALCS New York Yankees over Los Angeles Angels 4 games to 2 ALCS MVP – CC Sabathia
NLCS Philadelphia Phillies over Los Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 1 NLCS MVP – Ryan Howard

Divisional Series
ALDS1
New York Yankees over Minnesota Twins 3 games to 0

ALDS2
Los Angeles Angels over Boston Red Sox 3 games to 0

NLDS1
Los Angeles Dodgers over St. Louis Cardinals 3 games to 0

NLDS2
Philadelphia Phillies over Colorado Rockies 3 games to 1

 

Awards –

Cy Young Award National League Tim Lincecum
Cy Young Award American League ZacK Greinke

MVP Awards –
NL Albert Pujols
AL Joe Mauer

NL Rookie of The Year – coghlch01
AL Rookie of The Year – bailean01

Roberto Clemente Award – Derek Jeter

All-Star Game – July 14th – A.L. over N.L. , played at Busch Stadium III (NL)
AL Starter R. Halladay NL Starter T. Lincecum MVP C. Crawford