New York, NY – New York Yankees outfielder Alfonso Soriano has been named the American League's Player of the Week for games played from August 12-18.
Soriano earned his seventh career weekly award after a torrid seven-game stretch in which the midseason acquisition batted .484 (15-for-31) with five homers, nine runs scored and 18 RBI. The veteran slugger drove in 13 of those runs in a two-game span, following up a two-homer, six-RBI performance against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this past Tuesday with two more long balls -- including a grand slam -- while knocking in seven runs on three hits the following night.
The 37-year-old became only the third player in MLB history to collect six RBI over consecutive games, joining Texas' Rusty Greer (1997) and Milwaukee's Geoff Jenkins (2001). Additionally, Soriano's 18 RBI over a four-game stretch matched the highest total ever since the stat became official in 1920.
Soriano captured a Player of the Week distinction for the first time since he was named the NL's top player while with the Chicago Cubs on May 18, 2008.
Others considered for the award included Detroit's Max Scherzer and Miguel Cabrera, Minnesota's Andrew Albers, Baltimore's Chris Davis and Chicago's Chris Sale.
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