Tigers Blank Royals 1-0 in Season Finale, Cabrera Wins AL Triple Crown
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The AL has its first Triple Crown winner since 1967. Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera clinched the award in a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals (72-90, 37-44 home) lost 9 of 11 to end the 2012 season, but still managed to finish with a better record than last year. In 2011, the club finished 71-91. The Royals also finished third in the AL Central for the first time in nine years.
The last player to win the AL Triple Crown was Red Sox Hall of Fame outfielder Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Yastrzemski finished the season with numbers similar to Cabrera’s, a .326 average with 44 home runs and 121 RBI’s.
Cabrera finishes his historical season with a .330 average, 44 HR’s, and 139 RBI’s.
An RBI double by center fielder Austin Jackson gave the Tigers (88-74, 38-43 away) a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning. Royals starter Luis Mendoza (4.23 ERA) gave up one run on six hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking three.
The 2012 season had its share of ups and downs, most notably the 12-game losing streak to start the season. Royals fans witnessed the emergence of several young rising stars however, enough to have plenty of optimism and raised expectations heading into 2013.
