1. Randy Johnson: Was the Co-MVP
of World Series and won the Cy Young.
He went 3-0 in Series, the first
pitcher since 1968 to win three games in a WS.
Johnson was the starting pitcher
for National League All Star team.
His 372 strikeouts were 3rd
most in season in modern history. He led the league with 13.4 SO/ 9 IP.
The Big Unit led the NL with a
2.49 ERA, and 1.00 WHIP.
His 21 wins were 3rd in
senior circuit and his 249.7 IP were 2nd.
Johnson tied a ML record
with 20 strikeouts vs. the Reds in May.
He pitched a CG 3 H SHO with 11 Ks
in Game One of NLCS vs. Atlanta.
Johnson
won Game Five of NLCS with 7 IP 8 SO and 2 ER to close out the Braves. He
finished the series with a 1.13 ERA.
He had a repeat performance with
another 3 hit shutout in Game 2 of the World Series with 11 Ks.
His arm
and bat helped the D’Backs force Game Seven. He picked up the win giving up
two earned in seven innings. He also scored two and drove in one of Arizona’s
15 runs.
In the Series deciding game,
Johnson recorded the final four outs as Arizona dramatically came back in
the bottom of the ninth.
The
Diamondbacks won 92 games and the West by 2 games. They were the quickest
expansion team (four seasons) to win a World Series.
2. Curt
Schilling: Was the Co-MVP of the World Series.
Schilling was 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in the
World Series with 26 SO in 21.3 innings.
In the
regular season, he led the NL in wins with 22, IP with 256.7 and 6 complete
games.
He was 2nd in ERA
(2.98), 2nd in Ks (293), 3rd in WHIP (1.08).
Schilling started the postseason by
shutting out the Cardinals with 9 strikeouts.
In the decisive Game Five he got
Arizona to the LCS while giving up just one earned in another complete game
victory.
Schill tossed his third straight
CG, and stuck out 12 Braves in Game Three of the NLCS.
He
beat Roger Clemens in Game One of the Series with 7 IP and 8 K’s.
He fanned nine more Yankees in Game
Four.
In the classic Game Seven,
Schilling dueled with Roger Clemens. Schilling left trailing 2-1 in the eighth,
but blanked NY in the first six innings.
During
the playoffs he was 4-0 with 1.12 ERA in playoffs with 56 SO in 48.3 IP.
The
Diamondbacks won due or die games vs. St. Louis and New York with Schilling
on the mound.
3. Ichiro Suzuki: Was the
AL MVP, Was the only the second rookie to win MVP (Fred Lynn 1975).
He won the Gold Glove, Rookie
of the Year, and Silver Slugger.
Ichiro was the starting CF for the American
League and Sporting News Player of the Year.
The Japanese
star led the AL in batting (.350), hits (242), steals (56), and at bats.
He was second in runs with 127. His
hits totals were a rookie record and ninth most in a season.
He
was top 10 in the AL in triples and total bases.
Seattle matched the 1906
Cubs with 116 wins, the most in regular season history.
Ichiro hit a go ahead RBI single in
7th of Game Four of the ALDS against Cleveland. Seattle won Game
Four 6-2 to force a deciding Game Five.
In Game Five Ichiro went 3-4,
including singling and scoring in the seventh to extend Seattle’s lead to 3-1.
He
finished the series 12-20 with 4 R and 2 RBI.
In Game Three of the ALCS, the M’s
only win in the series, Suzuki reached base three times and scored twice.
Overall in 10 playoff games he hit
.412 with seven runs scored.
Seattle won the West by 14 games
over Oakland, who had the 2nd best record in baseball. They led AL in scoring and batting average.
