BALTIMORE (AP) – Nelson Cruz found vindication, happiness and many new friends as a member of the Baltimore Orioles.
To show his appreciation, the free-swinging slugger served as the driving force in the team’s most successful season in 17 years.
Cruz led the majors with 40 home runs and finished third with 108 RBIs to help Baltimore win the AL East for the first time since 1997. As an encore, he homered twice in the Orioles’ three-game sweep of Detroit in the Division Series, including the key drive in a 2-1 victory Sunday that thrust Baltimore into the AL Championship Series against the Kansas City Royals.
“There have been parts of the year when he’s carried us,” shortstop J.J. Hardy said. “We wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
After playing much of the year without catcher Matt Wieters and third baseman Manny Machado, both sidelined by season-ending injuries, Baltimore lost first baseman Chris Davis to a 25-game suspension in September for using the amphetamine Adderall without a prescription.