From This Week in 1960s Baseball …
(November 15, 1967) – Today the Baseball Writers of America (BBWAA) voted Boston Red Sox left fielder Carl Yastrzemski the American League’s Most Valuable Player for 1967.
The choice was nearly unanimous. Why it wasn’t unanimous remains a mystery.
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| Carl Yastrzemski |
Yastrzemski’s qualifications for the MVP were impeccable. He won the Triple Crown by leading the American League with a .326 batting average and 121 runs batted in. His 44 home runs tied him for the league lead with Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins.
Yastrzemski also led the American League in hits (189), runs (112), on-base percentage (.418) and slugging average (.622). He carried the pennant-winning Red Sox on his back during the stretch run. In September and October, Yastrzemski batted .417 with 9 home runs and 26 RBIs in 27 games. He also posted a .760 slugging average over that period.
Yastrzemski received 19 out of 20 first-place votes. The only first place vote that eluded Yastrzemski went to Twins infielder Cesar Tovar.
Tovar’s qualifications? He led the American League in games played (164) and at-bats (649) … and nothing else. Tovar batted .267 with 173 hits (second to Yastrzemski). He was also second in the league in doubles with 32. (Teammate Tony Oliva led the league with 34 doubles. Yastrzemski was third with 31.)
It was the closest Tovar would ever come to winning the MVP award.
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