Chris Heston of the San Francisco Giants and Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins named National League Co-Players of the Week
Chris Heston of the San Francisco Giants and Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins have been named National League Co-Players of the Week for the week of June 8th-14th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Heston threw the first no-hitter in the Major Leagues this year on Monday, tossing 9.0 hitless innings in a 5-0 win over the New York Mets at Citi Field. The rookie hurler fanned a career-best 11 while walking none in the first no- no since Jordan Zimmermann's gem on September 28, 2014. Heston's performance marked the 35th complete-game no-hitter by a rookie in Major League history and the third by a Giants rookie all-time. The last big leaguer to throw a no-hitter during his rookie campaign was Boston's Clay Buchholz (September 1, 2007 vs. Baltimore). Heston threw 110 pitches (72 strikes) in the outing and capped the effort by striking out three consecutive Mets batters to seal the win. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Heston became the first pitcher to finish a no-hitter with three straight strikeouts since Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax did so in his perfect game on September 9, 1965 vs. Chicago (NL). He also became the first rookie pitcher in Major League history to strike out more than 10 without issuing a walk in a no-hitter. Heston, who was a 12th round selection by the Giants in the 2009 MLB Draft, currently leads Major League rookie pitchers in wins, innings and strikeouts while his two complete games are the most among National Leaguers overall. This is his first career weekly award.
Stanton's five home runs, 12 RBI, 1.280 slugging percentage and 32 total bases led the Majors last week, while his .520 batting average and .586 on-base percentage both ranked second among qualifying NL hitters. In addition, his seven runs scored were tied for second. The right-handed-hitting slugger collected 13 hits last week, hitting safely in each of his seven games and posting multi-hit efforts in five of them. On Thursday, the two-time All-Star's four-RBI night paved the way to a 6-0 win over the visiting Colorado Rockies. Stanton clubbed his 22nd homer of the season in the contest, becoming the first player in Marlins history to hit nine home runs in a 12-game span (May 30th-June 11th). In Saturday's matchup between the two clubs, Stanton powered the Fish to a 4-1 victory, driving in all four of Miami's runs in the contest and hitting his Major League-leading 23rd long ball. The four RBI matched a season-high for the California native, whose 59 RBI this year are also currently a Major League best. This is his third career weekly award, having won previously for August 20-26, 2012 and August 9-15, 2010.
Other noteworthy performances last week included Washington's Bryce Harper (.529, 4 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .941 SLG, .636 OBP) and Max Scherzer (1-1, 2.30 ERA, 23 SO, 15.2 IP); Atlanta's Jace Peterson (.419, 7 R, 13 H, HR, 5 RBI, .471 OBP); and Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa (2-0, 1.93 ERA, 12 SO, 14.0 IP).
In recognition of their National League Co-Player of the Week Awards, Chris Heston and Giancarlo Stanton will each be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.