Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez Claim Play of the Week After Run-Saving Play in 10th Inning
Infielder Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros has been chosen the American League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet, and third baseman Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals has been named the National League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet. The announcements were made earlier today on MLB Network.
Bregman earned his second career AL Player of the Week Award, previously accomplishing the feat for the period ending July 1, 2018, and is Houston’s first winner since Bregman’s former teammate Gerrit Cole in September 2019. Arenado claimed his seventh NL Player of the Week Award and his first with the Cardinals, most recently winning for the Colorado Rockies for the week ending May 26, 2019. Nolan is St. Louis’ first weekly winner since his teammate Harrison Bader last September.
Alex Bregman, Houston Astros @abreg1
- Batted .429 (6-for-14) with four runs scored, two home runs, six RBI and an .857 slugging percentage across four games played.
- Homered in each of Houston’s first two games on Thursday and Friday, propelling the Astros to a pair of wins. Marked the second consecutive season that he homered in each of the Astros’ first two games of the season.
- Delivered the go-ahead two-run single in yesterday’s contest against the Los Angeles Angels, leading Houston to its third win of the series.
- Tallied at least one run scored, two hits and two RBI in each of his three starts over the weekend.
Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
- Hit .500 (6-for-12) with four runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and a 1.250 slugging percentage over three games.
- Paced his NL counterparts in RBI, slugging percentage and total bases (15), while matching the NL-high in home runs and doubles.
- Recorded at least two RBI in each of the Cardinals’ first three games of the 2022 season, becoming just the second player in Club history to accomplish the feat. Mark McGwire holds the franchise record with multiple RBI in each of St. Louis’ first four games in 1998.
- Enters play today having notched at least one run, a hit and two RBI in each of his three games over the weekend.
Other noteworthy AL performances for the week included outfielder Steven Kwan (.800, 4 R, 8 H, 2 2B) and starting pitcher Zach Plesac (5.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 3 SO) of the Cleveland Guardians; first baseman Anthony Rizzo (.300, 3 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI) of the New York Yankees; starter Noah Syndergaard (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.1 IP, 2 H) in his debut with the Los Angeles Angels; first baseman/designated hitter Andrew Vaughn (.400, 4 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI) of the Chicago White Sox; starter Brad Keller (6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 SO, 2 H) of the Kansas City Royals; and Bregman’s teammate Framber Valdez (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.2 IP, 2 H).
Other noteworthy NL performances last week included starting pitcher Sean Manaea (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 0 H) and outfielder Jurickson Profar (.400, 4 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI) of the San Diego Padres; starter Kyle Gibson (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 10 SO) of the Philadelphia Phillies; second baseman/outfielder Jeff McNeil (.438, 2 R, 7 H, 3 RBI) and outfielder Mark Canha (.700, 2 R, 7 H, 2 RBI) of the New York Mets; starter Tyler Mahle (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SO, 2 BB) of the Cincinnati Reds; starter Kyle Wright (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 SO, 1 BB) of the Atlanta Braves; and Arenado’s teammate Adam Wainwright (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 SO, 0 BB).
Electric Play of the Week presented by Chevrolet
Clutch Throw and Tag by Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals
Rookie infielder Bobby Witt Jr. and All-Star backstop Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals both earned their first career Play of the Week Awards. This represents Kansas City’s first winner since the award was introduced in 2019. In the top of the tenth inning in Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, Witt slid to field a sharp ground ball and threw home to Perez, who made an impressive tag and prevented the run from scoring. Additional Play of the Week candidates included Jo Adell’s home run-robbing catch of Niko Goodrum; Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s fully-extended diving snag; Justin Turner’s catch over the railing in foul territory; and Javier Báez’s sliding stop in the hole before throwing out the runner at first.
