Becoming the first major league player to win Gold Gloves in each of his first nine seasons, Ichiro Suzuki was awarded No. 9 Tuesday – and he now could give one to every position player on his team.
He probably won’t.
Ichiro, the 36-year-old right fielder for the Seattle Mariners, was selected for the award by a vote of American League managers and coaches. While not based on statistics, it remains an award largely given out of respect to the players involved.
The Gold Glove left the Mariners with a 15-year streak of winners – the longest in the AL – but in 2009, Ichiro was alone.
Adrian Beltre had won two consecutive years at third base, but injuries gutted his season and Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria took the award Tuesday. Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez led the majors in putouts, but didn’t win what would have been his first Gold Glove.
Instead, the outfield awards went to Ichiro, the Angels’ Torii Hunter, also a winner of nine in a row, and ex-Mariner Adam Jones of Baltimore, who won for the first time.
With nine Gold Gloves apiece, Ichiro and Hunter are one shy of the AL record for outfielders, shared by the Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr. and Detroit Hall of Famer Al Kaline.
For Ichiro, the Gold Glove added glitz to a season in which he batted .352, led the league in hits and intentional walks and produced a league-best 27-game hitting streak.
The New York Yankees had two players make this year’s list – shortstop Derek Jeter, who won his fourth, and first baseman Mark Teixeira, who picked up his third.
Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle was another first-time winner, and Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer, a top contender for AL MVP, and Detroit second baseman Placido Polanco each earned their second award.
National League winners will be announced today.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
larry.larue@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners
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