Dodgers and Angels unveil joint billboard highlighting Most Valuable Players

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim jointly unveiled a billboard today celebrating the 2014 Most Valuable Player Awards of Dodger left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Angels center fielder Mike Trout. Located on the corner of Highland and Wilshire in Los Angeles, the billboard features the faces of Kershaw and Trout with the script "Is Your MVP Red Or Blue."

2014 represented just the 11th occurrence in the 83-year history of the BBWAA MVP awards in which players from the same market captured their league's respective honors (see chart below). Kershaw and Trout are the first duo to accomplish the feat since the 2002 season when Oakland's Miguel Tejada and San Francisco's Barry Bonds were tabbed as MVPs, and it is just the third such occurrence in the last 55 years.

Beginning today, the Angels and Dodgers are inviting fans to celebrate the Los Angeles clubs sweeping the MVP awards via social media. Fans can show their support by utilizing the hashtags #MVPKersh and #MVPTrout during a six-week period leading up to the annual "Freeway Series," which takes place at Angel Stadium April 2-3 and Dodger Stadium April 4.

Kershaw, 26, led the Majors with 21 wins, going 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 239 strikeouts in his 27 starts. The southpaw also led the Majors with a 0.86 WHIP and six complete games, while ranking among the N.L. leaders in strikeouts (3rd), opponents' batting average (.196, 2nd), shutouts (2, T-3rd) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.71, 1st). The Dodgers posted a 23-4 record in Kershaw's 27 starts, including a 14-1 mark in his 15 starts of 8.0 or more innings. Kershaw was the first National League pitcher to be honored as MVP since St. Louis' Bob Gibson in 1968 and just the fourth N.L. pitcher in the Cy Young era (since 1956) to win the award.

Trout completed the 2014 campaign batting .287 with 115 runs scored, 39 doubles, nine triples, 36 home runs and 111 RBI. The Angels center fielder set career highs in home runs (T4th in A.L.), RBI (1st in A.L.) and extra base hits (84, 1st in A.L.) and matched his career bests in doubles (6th in A.L.) and triples (3rd in A.L.). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, at 23 years and 52 days old at the end of the season, Trout is the third youngest A.L. player ever to win the award behind only Oakland's Vida Blue (22 years, 64 days) and Baltimore's Cal Ripken Jr. (23 years, 39 days).

Since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 and the Angels' inception in 1961, the two clubs have combined to produce eight Most Valuable Players, the second-most by teams in the same metropolitan area (SF/OAK - 17).

MVP WINNERS FROM THE SAME MARKET

                        SEASON          CLUBS             A.L. MVP         N.L. MVP

                        2014                 LAA/LAD         Mike Trout        Clayton Kershaw

                        2002                 OAK/SF            Miguel Tejada    Barry Bonds

                        2000                 OAK/SF            Jason Giambi     Jeff Kent

                        1959                 CWS/CHC         Nellie Fox         Ernie Banks

                        1956                 NYY/BRO         Mickey Mantle   Don Newcombe

                        1955                 NYY/BRO         Yogi Berra        Roy Campanella

                        1954                 NYY/NYG        Yogi Berra        Willie Mays

                        1951                 NYY/BRO         Yogi Berra        Roy Campanella

                        1941                 NYY/BRO         Joe DiMaggio    Dolph Camilli

                        1936                 NYY/NYG        Lou Gehrig        Carl Hubbell

                        1932                 PHA/PHI          Jimmie Foxx     Chuck Klein