PSWA crowns Phillies ‘Team of the Year’ for 2011
The 2011 Philadelphia Phillies, winners of a team record 102 games and champions of the National League East, are the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s Team of the Year, it was announced by PSWA president Rich Westcott.
The Phils will be honored at the PSWA’s 108th annual Sports Awards Dinner on Monday, January 30, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, N.J.
The Phillies last season won their fifth consecutive NL East crown, setting a franchise record with 102 wins, also the most wins in baseball in 2011. Led by the “Four Aces” pitching rotation (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt), plus National League Rookie of the Year candidate Vance Worley, the Phils led the National League in ERA for the first time since 1952. The team ERA of 3.02 was the lowest in baseball since 1989, and the Halladay-Lee duo finished second and third, respectively, to Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw of the L.A. Dodgers.
On the offensive side, the Phillies averaged 4.80 runs per game from July 1 through the end of the regular season, the best mark in the National League. First baseman Ryan Howard finished sixth in the NL with 33 homers and midseason acquisition Hunter Pence finished fourth in NL batting with a .314 average. The Phils were also pretty slick with the gloves, committing a league-low 74 errors. And manager Charlie Manuel passed Gene Mauch in 2011 for the most managerial wins in Phillies history (646).
The Philadelphia Flyers won the PSWA Teamof the Year award last year. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, it belonged to the Phillies.
Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux has already been named the Pro Athlete of the Year, and other prestigious awards at the dinner, including Outstanding Amateur Athlete, Living Legend, Native Son, Humanitarian of the Year, and Good Guy Athlete, among others, will be announced in coming weeks, as will a couple of memorable surprise presentations and some “Special Achievement” awards.
The most coveted award—Most Courageous—is kept secret until the night of the dinner.
Comedian Joe Conklin will also perform at the dinner, the oldest continuing sports awards banquet in the nation.
Tickets for the dinner at $95 apiece are available by clicking here.
Doors to the banquet open at 5 P.M. with the dinner starting promptly at 6:30 p.m.
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