Zack Greinke won the AL Cy Young award and Tim Lincecum won his second consecutive NL Cy Young award. Greinke finished up the season with 16 wins and Lincecum won 15 games but was only 5 - 5 after the All Star Break. Lincecum upset Carpenter and Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals who seemed to be the favorites in the running for the award.

Wagner College product Andrew Bailey of the Oakland Athletics won the AL Rookie of the Year and Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins won the NL Rookie of the Year. The rookie LF finished up his season with a .321 batting average and a .460 slugging percentage. The rookie  Athletics' closer racked up an ERA of 1.84 in 68 games .167 batting average against. 

Colorado Rockies' manager Jim Tracy won the NL Manager of the Year and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim manager Mike Scoscia won the AL Manager of the year award. Scoscia led his club to the ALCS but was beaten by 2007 MOY Joe Girardi's Yankees as they went on to win the World Series. After taking over during the season and after the firing of Clint Hurdle Rockies' manager took his team to their second playoff beth in 3 seasons as they won the NL Wild Card but were beat by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS who eventually lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Toronto Blue Jays 2B Aaron Hill won the AL Comeback Player of the Year award and St. Louis Cardinals SP Chris Carpenter won the NL Comeback player of the Year award. Hill finished up his season with a .286 batting average and a .499 slugging percentage. After returning from injury Chris Carpenter compiled a 2.24 ERA .226 batting average against leading his team to a NL Central Division Championship. 

A day after winning Golden Gloves at their respective positions the pair also won Silver Slugger Awards from Louisville Slugger. 

C Joe Mauer, MIN

2B Aaron Hill, TOR

3B Evan Longoria, TB

OF Jason Bay, BOS

OF Ichiro Suzuki, SEA

OF Tori Hunter, LAA

DH Adam Lind, TOR

C Brian McCann, ATL

1B Albert Pujols, STL

2B Chase Utley, PHI

3B Ryan Zimmerman, WAS

SS Hanley Ramirez, FLA

OF Ryan Braun, MIL

OF Andre Ethier, LAD

OF Matt Kemp, LAD

P Carlos Zambrano, CHC

It's been nine long years but the New York Yankees paraded down the Canyon of Heroes once again as they and over a million Yankee fans celebrated their 27th World Series victory. The Yankees were presented keys to the city by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at City Hall after making their way down the Canyon. This is a sight that Yankee fans will be seeing a lot more of because it won't be nine years before we win our next one.

 

Yankee fans are in 27th heaven! The New York Yankees have won the World Series for the 27th time last night and they won in the inaugural season of the New Yankee Stadium. Ask anybody and they would tell you this championship was for the boss, George Steinbrenner. All I can say is WOW! I am in shock right now because it has been nine long years since this has happened but Yankee fans including myself kinda expected this after the aggressiveness of the Yankees' front office in the free agency market during the off season. CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira = Money Well Spent! Congratulations Yankees!

Going into the top of the ninth inning it was tied at 4 a piece and Brad Lidge was on the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies. Phillies fans figured that Lidge would have a scoreless inning and make something happen in the bottom of the ninth to even up the series once again. It was close to a scoreless inning for Lidge who had recorded two outs in the inning but then his worst nightmare came up to the plate. Johnny Damon worked the count full and made Lidge throw a lot of pitches and Damon eventually won the battle by hitting a single to left that bounced in front of Raul Ibanez. With Mark Teixeira now at the plate the Phillies put the shift on but this left them vulnerable to the running threat that the Yankees posed. Johnny Damon stole second base on the first pitch but with nobody covering third base Damon scooted around 3B Pedro Feliz and proceeded to third base uncontested. Teixeira was eventually walked putting runners on the corner for Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod hit a screaming line drive double over the head of Raul Ibanez to plate two runs and put the Yankees up 7 - 4. Going into the bottom of the ninth the Phillies were now down by 3 instead of being tied and coming out of the visitor's bullpen was Mariano Rivera and as we all know he has been lights out this postseason and he was so once again as he shut the Phillies down 1,2,3 to put the Yankees up 3 games to 1 and one win away from World Series Championship number 27.

The Yankees are taking one win with them to the bank, Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia that is or should I say "Silly"delphia. Clutch hitting from Mark Teixeira tied the game up at 1 and the Yankees had no mercy for public enemy number 1, Pedro Martinez after that because Matsui took him deep again to put New York on top for good in last night's game. Pedro was not the same Pedro that pitched for the Red Sox but the Yankees' are still his daddy! 

THE TITLE ABOVE SAYS IT ALL! 40 TIME AL CHAMPIONS!

The champagne is on ice in the visiting clubhouse at Angels Stadium as the Yankees are one   win away from meeting the Dodgers or the Phillies in the World Series. Game 2 Starter A.J. Burnett will get the ball tomorrow and after his Game 2 performance Yankee fans are feeling pretty good about the Yankees' chances of going to their first World Series since 2003. Game 5 is tomorrow night on Fox and the Yankees will try to wrap up the American League Championship and secure their spot in the Fall Classic.