Max Scherzer, Andrew Benintendi named Players of the Week presented by Chevrolet
All-Star starting pitcher Max Scherzer of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been chosen the National League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet, and outfielder Andrew Benintendi of the Kansas City Royals has been named the American League Player of the Week presented by Chevrolet. The announcements were made earlier today on MLB Network.
Scherzer, who was acquired by the Dodgers at the Trade Deadline, earned his sixth career weekly award, most recently for the period ending June 30, 2019 while a member of the Washington Nationals. Max is the Dodgers’ third winner this season, joining AJ Pollock and All-Star Chris Taylor, who both accomplished the feat in July. Benintendi claimed his first career AL Player of the Week Award and is Kansas City’s second recipient in 2021, joining All-Star backstop Salvador Perez (August 29th).
Max Scherzer, Los Angeles Dodgers (@maxscherzer31)
• Earned a victory in both starts for the Dodgers, tossing 16.0 scoreless innings while tallying 22 strikeouts without permitting a free pass.
• Notched the 3,000th strikeout of his career yesterday, becoming the 19th pitcher in MLB history to reach the coveted milestone.
• Reached the mark in his 404th career game and his 2,516th inning pitched, both of which are second-fastest in Major League history. Hall of Famer Randy Johnson holds both records, logging 3,000 punchouts across 362 games and 2,470.2 innings.
• Became the fourth pitcher in history with 3,000 punchouts and multiple no-hitters, joining Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan and Johnson, as well as his former teammate Justin Verlander.
• Since being acquired by LA, Max has posted a 0.88 ERA and 72:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 51.0 innings.
Andrew Benintendi, Kansas City Royals (@andrewbenintendi16)
• Batted .500 (14-for-28) with four runs scored, three doubles, three home runs, 14 RBI and a .929 slugging percentage over seven games played.
• Delivered his fifth career multi-homer game and his second of the season on Friday against the Minnesota Twins (also May 1st).
• Recorded 14 RBI across Kansas City’s seven-game road trip, matching the Club record for any trip of seven games-or-fewer, shared by Jeff King (1997) and Kendrys Morales (2016).
• Since August 15th, enters play today slashing .327/.339/.545 with 12 runs, 36 hits, 15 extra-base hits and 20 RBI across 27 games, leading the Royals to a 15-12 mark.
Other noteworthy NL performances for the week included All-Star starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (1-0, 8.0 IP, 14 SO, 0 H) of the Milwaukee Brewers, who combined with All-Star Josh Hader for a no-hitter on Saturday; outfielder Bryce Harper (.409, 6 R, 5 HR, 8 RBI) of the Philadelphia Phillies; infielder Javier Báez (.444, 8 R, 12 H, 4 XBH) of the New York Mets; first baseman Brandon Belt (.529, 7 R, 9 H, 6 RBI) of the San Francisco Giants; outfielder Ian Happ (.333, 5 R, 4 HR, 7 RBI) of the Cubs; and Scherzer’s All-Star teammate Mookie Betts (.409, 7 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI).
Other noteworthy AL performances last week included All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernández (.448, 13 R, 13 H, 6 XBH), All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.333, 9 R, 11 H, 5 HR), All-Star infielder Marcus Semien (.364, 8 R, 3 2B, 4 HR), outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (.385, 9 R, 3 HR, 12 RBI) of the surging Toronto Blue Jays; outfielder Kyle Tucker (.524, 6 R, 11 H, 6 RBI) and third baseman Alex Bregman (.429, 2 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI) of the Houston Astros; designated hitter Nelson Cruz (.464, 10 R, 4 HR, 9 RBI) of the Tampa Bay Rays; and outfielder Anthony Santander (.310, 9 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI) of the Baltimore Orioles.
PLAY OF THE WEEK
Nifty Double Play by Brandon Crawford and Tommy La Stella of the San Francisco Giants
September 10th at CHI – Watch It Here
All-Star shortstop Brandon Crawford and second baseman Tommy La Stella of the San Francisco Giants earned their first career Play of the Week Awards and represent San Francisco’s first winner since Kevin Pillar in May 2019. In the bottom of the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday, Crawford initiated a back-handed double play with La Stella completing it to retire the runner at first base. Additional Play of the Week candidates included Jackie Bradley Jr.’s leaping snag at the outfield wall; José Abreu’s running over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory; Jesús Sánchez’s diving catch in shallow right field; and Hunter Renfroe’s throw to nab Joey Wendle for the final out.
Chevy Community MVPs of the Month
Meet the dedicated people who’ve kept our communities moving forward over the last year. They’re the real MVPs, or as we call them, Community MVPs. Each month, as MLB recognizes National and American League players for their exceptional on-field performances, Chevy will spotlight a Community MVP who’s stood out for continuously putting others’ needs before their own.
Christine Evans (Atlanta)
As a nurse anesthetist fighting on the frontlines at the beginning of the pandemic (where she often worked seven days a week with little rest), Christine’s selflessness and commitment to others is a true inspiration. Outside of nursing, she also found other ways to help. As a volunteer at Village Work Community Services, Christine poured her energy into overseeing and supporting children who were adjusting to the challenges of virtual learning during school shutdowns.
Jarrod Rice (Detroit)
Jarrod is a boys basketball coach who, besides teaching the fundamentals of the game, teaches life lessons, forming better players and better young men. Beloved by his players, Jarrod received multiple nominations, which speaks to the profound impact he’s had as a coach, mentor and friend.
For a full list of Chevy Community MVPs, please visit here.