Yadier Molina wins 4th Gold Glove award

9:19 AM, Nov 2, 2011   |    comments
Oct 28, 2011; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina in the first inning in game seven of the 2011 World Series against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ezra Shaw/Pool Photo via US PRESSWIRE
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By RONALD BLUM  AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier  became the first trio of Los Angeles Dodgers to win NL Gold Gloves  in the same year, and Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby  Ellsbury became the first three Red Sox in 32 seasons to win the AL  honor together.

Kershaw became a first-time winner at pitcher when the awards  were announced Tuesday. Ethier earned his first Gold Glove in the  outfield and Kemp regained the NL award he also earned in 2009.

Gonzalez earned his first AL Gold Glove to go along with two he  won in the NL while with San Diego, Pedroia won at second base for  the first time since 2008 and Ellsbury picked up his first Gold  Glove.

The previous three Red Sox to win in the same year were  shortstop Rick Burleson along with outfielders Dwight Evans and  Fred Lynn in 1979.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle was the lone AL holdover,  winning for the third straight year. Baltimore's Matt Wieters won  at catcher, the Angels' Erick Aybar at shortstop, Texas' Adrian  Beltre at third, and Kansas City's Alex Gordon and Baltimore's Nick  Markakis in the outfield.

The St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina became the first NL  catcher to win in four straight years since Charles Johnson from  1995-98.

Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto and second baseman Brandon  Phillips also won along with Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki,  Philadelphia third baseman Placido Polanco and Arizona outfielder  Gerardo Parra. Phillips and Tulowitzki joined Molina as the NL  holdovers.

This year's AL group displaced Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer;  Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, second baseman Robinson Cano  and shortstop Derek Jeter; Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria;  former Rays outfielder Carl Crawford; and Seattle outfielders  Ichiro Suzuki and Franklin Gutierrez.

Suzuki's streak of Gold Gloves ended at 10. The right fielder,  who had won in every one of his big league seasons, had tied the AL  record for Gold Gloves by an outfielder shared by Ken Griffey Jr.  and Al Kaline.

Last year's NL winners included Cardinals first baseman Albert  Pujols, Reds third baseman Scott Rolen and Colorado's Carlos  Gonzalez and Philadelphia's Shane Victorino joined in the outfield  by Michael Bourn, then of Houston.

Rawlings announced the winners Tuesday. Managers and coaches  vote for players in their leagues and can't pick players on their  own teams.

Beltre and Gonzalez each earned $100,000 bonuses, while Aybar  and Markakis get $75,000 apiece. Molina, Pedroia, Polanco and Votto  each receive $50,000, and Tulowitzki and Buehrle both get $25,000.

Phillips gets an automatic $250,000 raise next season to $12.25  million under the option the Reds exercised Monday.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)