June 1, 2008
May Players of the Month Honored
The Boston Red Sox, coming off a month in which the team won 22 of 29, were rewarded for their accomplishments.
Daisuke Matsuzaka and David Ortiz were both named the Player of the Month by Major League Baseball on Sunday. It is the first award for both this season.
Matsuzaka has made fans take notice of his maturation from last year. His exceptional 5-0 record in May went along with a 2.84 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 44.1 innings. For the year, Matsuzaka has compiled an ERA of 3.84 to go along with a 7-3 mark in 13 starts. He has 74 strikeouts in 93.2 innings and has held opponents to a .215 batting average.
Ortiz toyed with opposing pitchers all month long, collecting 39 hits in 107 at-bats. The veteran designated hitter hit for a .364 average and collected 10 home runs, 27 RBIs and 26 runs scored. In 2008, Ortiz is hitting .327 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. He trails Manny Ramirez (.347, 15 HRs, 50 RBIs) in all three categories for the team lead.
Ramirez had previously won the award for the month of April after hitting .409 in 25 games with 9 home runs and 27 RBIs. Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees was April's Pitcher of the Month.
The National League named Ray Durham of the San Francisco Giants as the NL Player of the Month and John Maine of the New York Mets as the NL Pitcher of the Month.