INQUIRER Sports

NEW YORK -- Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was named Major League Baseball's American League Most Valuable Player on Tuesday in a vote by a media panel.

Pedroia matched the major league season lead with 213 hits and led the American League with 118 runs scored and 54 doubles.

He also finished second in the league with a .326 batting average after having spent time in each of the first four positions in the Red Sox batting lineup.

Pedroia also had 17 home runs, drove in 83 runs and stole 20 bases in 21 attempts.

No Red Sox player had won the award since Mo Vaughn in 1995 even though the Red Sox have won two World Series titles in between, snapping an 86-year title drought in 2004 and claiming the crown last year as well.

In voting, Pedroia received 16 first-place votes and 317 points while runner-up Justin Morneau of Minnesota had seven first-place votes and 257 points.

Another Boston player, Kevin Youkilis, was third in the MVP voting with two first-place votes and 201 points.