NewsRivera, Dye take home AL weekly award
Yanks closer gets 500th save; White Sox slugger bats .500
By Bobbie Dittmeier / MLB.com
06/29/09 3:54 PM ET
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who saved three games to reach the 500 mark in his career, and White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye, who batted .500, were named on Monday co-winners of the American League Player of the Week Award presented by Bank of America.Rivera did not allow a run and struck out six batters in his three appearances. Against the Mets on Sunday, he became the second pitcher in Major League history, and the first in the American League, to record 500 saves. Only Trevor Hoffman of the Brewers has more career saves. He has 571.
"You can add up all the players that ever played the game, and Mo has been as consistent as anyone," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. "He's done it in the regular season, he's done it in the postseason, he's done it in Spring Training, he's done it in the Minor Leagues. He's done it everywhere he's been."
In six games, Dye led the Majors with a .500 (12-for-24) batting average, 25 total bases and four doubles while also contributing three home runs and six RBIs to the White Sox. The 35-year-old also had a Major League-best 1.042 slugging percentage in addition to a .520 on-base percentage. The two-time AL All-Star right fielder compiled six consecutive multi-hit games and increased his home run total to a club-best 18.
On Sunday, Dye hit a solo home run in the eighth inning en route to a 6-0 White Sox win over the rival Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field. The home run marked his 155th with the Chicago White Sox, passing Bill Melton and giving Dye sole possession of seventh place on the club's all-time list.
Rivera, for good measure, got his first career RBI when he walked with the bases loaded in the ninth inning of the Yankees' 4-2 win on Sunday.
"The RBI is the best," Rivera said. "It was my first RBI. It was my 500th save."
Bobbie Dittmeier is an editor/producer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
