Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz and starter Jon Lester were rewarded for their outstanding months of May by earning the American League Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively.
The pair became the first set of teammates to claim the honor in the same month since Minnesota's Joe Mauer and Johan Santana took home the awards in June 2006. They are the first Red Sox teammates to receive the awards at the same time since Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez in May 1999.
Ortiz hit .363 (29-for-80) with 10 home runs, 27 RBIs and 16 runs scored in May. His .788 slugging percentage and .424 on-base percentage led the majors and he reached double figures in home runs for a month for the first time since August 2006.
This is the fourth time the 34-year-old Ortiz has achieved the honor, the last coming in September 2007.
Lester was a perfect 5-0 in six May starts, allowing only 24 hits in 44 innings while topping all major league hurlers with 45 strikeouts. His 1.84 ERA for the month was the lowest of any American League pitcher with more than 27 innings pitched.
Included in the lefty's run was a complete-game win against Minnesota at Fenway Park on May 20 in Lester's 100th career start.
Lester is now 48-18 in his career, and his .727 winning percentage is the best in major league history (since 1901) among pitchers with at least 50 decisions. It marks the third time Lester has won the award.
