News
Marmol, Mr. T up for TYIB Awards
Setup man and celeb bring Cubs memorable moments in '09
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
11/25/09 5:00 PM EST
CHICAGO -- Cubs pitcher Carlos Marmol's performance on the field and Mr. T's off-key singing of the seventh-inning stretch off of it are among the candidates for MLB.com's This Year in Baseball Awards.
The ballot boxes will close at 6:59 p.m. CT on Dec. 11. In 2008, a record 12 million votes were cast for the TYIB Awards, and that figure could be surpassed this time around as fans weigh in on the year's top hitter, pitcher, moments and more. The results of the voting will be revealed during the week of Dec. 14-18.
Marmol is among the candidates for Setup Man of the Year. The right-hander led the Cubs with 27 holds despite taking over the closer's duties on Aug. 18. Marmol recorded 11 strikeouts per nine innings, third most among NL relievers.
His competition includes the Giants' Jeremy Affeldt; the Brewers' Todd Coffey; the Padres' Luke Gregerson; the Twins' Matt Guerrier; the Yankees' Phil Hughes; the Mariners' Mark Lowe; the White Sox's Matt Thornton; the Rangers' C.J. Wilson; and the Athletics' Michael Wuertz.
Actor and Chicago native Mr. T delivered a very loud rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at Wrigley Field for a May 25 game against Pittsburgh, and is among the candidates in the Oddity of the Year category.
Fans are asked to help decide the year's most bizarre moment. Previous winners include Ozzy Osbourne, who did a mumbled rendition of the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field back in 2003.
Mr. T is competing with a D-backs fan who bare-handed a foul ball on July 28 against the Phillies, and didn't drop either his extra-large drink or his son. There's the PETCO bee game from July 2 when a swarm invaded the San Diego ballpark and prompted a 52-minute delay.
There are two other entries in this category with Cubs connections. Chicago fans remember Milton Bradley's inability to count how many outs were in the inning against the Twins on June 12. He caught a fly ball for the second out, and inexplicably threw the ball into the bleachers.
On July 28, Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome hit a comebacker that somehow ended up inside the jersey of Houston pitcher Jeff Fulchino. Fukudome was credited with a single.
Other competitors in this category include a September game when a dad made a one-handed catch of a foul ball at a Phillies game and gave the ball to his daughter, who threw it back onto the field. There's also the July game when the Pittsburgh Pierogis beat the Presidents in a mascot race at Nationals Park and the lucky boy who brought his glove to a Rangers game and caught two foul balls by Josh Hamilton.
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
