Choo Named AL Player of Month
By Yoon Chul
Korea Times Intern
Cleveland Indians outfielder Choo Shin-soo was selected as the American League (AL) Player of the Month for September.
Major League Baseball (MLB) announced Monday that Choo won the award after batting .400 last month with five home runs, 24 RBIs and 21 runs. The 26-year-old South Korean had an on-base percentage of .464 and slugging percentage of .659 during that span.
Choo's big month featured 12 games with multiple hits, including five straight multi-hit games during one stretch. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs against the Kansas City Royals on Sept. 12, and added another three-hit game with two homers, four RBIs and two runs against the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 19.
``He's had a big impact on our ballclub,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said on the team's Web site. ``He's a complete player and he can help you win in multiple ways.''
Choo became the first South Korean field player to earn player of the month honors. The only other Korean to become player of the month was pitcher Park Chan-ho, who received the National League (NL) award after notching four wins with a 1.05 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 1998.
Choo finished this season with a .309 batting average, .397 on-base percentage and .549 slugging percentage during 94 games. He had 14 homers and 66 RBIs.
Boston Red Sox lefty Jon Lester was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 with a 2.14 ERA in September.
Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard earned NL Player of the Month honors after batting .352 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs in September. The New York Mets' Johan Santana was named NL Pitcher of the Month, after he went 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA.