Nov. 26, 1975

Fred Lynn found it much easier in the majors than in his two seasons in the minors, where he hit .259 and .282. As Boston's rookie center fielder, Lynn batted .331 (second to Rod Carew's .359) with 21 home runs and 105 RBI. He also led the American League with 103 runs scored, 47 doubles and a .556 slugging percentage in helping the Red Sox win the pennant.

"In a way, it's easier to hit in the majors because the pitchers throw the ball over the plate," he says.

Three weeks ago, the 23-year-old was a near-unanimous choice (23½ of 24 first-place votes) as the American League's Rookie of the Year. Today, he's a runaway winner of the league's Most Valuable Player award, receiving 22 first-place votes (Oakland Athletics reliever Rollie Fingers received the other two).

Lynn is the first player to ever win both awards in the same season.