Dodgers’ Trea Turner finishes strong to win batting title

LOS ANGELES — Earlier this week, person and erstwhile teammate Juan Soto texted the Dodgers’ Trea Turner to trash speech astir the batting race.

“He told maine helium was coming for me,” Turner said.

Turner had nary crushed to beryllium looking implicit his enarthrosis Sunday day arsenic helium punctuated his play with his 3rd location tally and 2nd expansive slam successful the past 3 games, raising his mean to .328 and finishing the play arsenic the MLB leader.

“He’s a feline that conscionable keeps it simple,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s got a batch of humility. He’s tremendously talented. I privation to congratulate him connected winning a batting title. They don’t springiness those away. That’s hard to do.”

Turner is the archetypal Dodger to triumph the batting rubric since Tommy Davis did it successful back-to-back years successful 1962 and 1963. Eddie Murray deed .330 for the Dodgers successful 1990 but officially mislaid the National League batting rubric to Willie McGee, who batted .335 with the St. Louis Cardinals earlier a late-season commercialized to the American League.

“Not yet. I’m definite I’ll perceive from him shortly,” Turner said erstwhile asked if helium had received Soto’s concession code via substance aft Sunday’s game. “He benignant of handed it to me. I thought I was going to person a small spot much unit this past week oregon I’d person to enactment unit connected him. I thought it was going to beryllium much of a race. I’ll inquire him what happened.”

What happened is Turner won the contention going away. Over a career-high 19-game hitting streak to decorativeness the play (the longest by a Dodger this season), Turner batted .403 (31 for 77).

After batting .322 successful 96 games for the Washington Nationals, Turner batted .338 successful 52 games arsenic a Dodger, matching his career-high with his 27th location tally of the play Sunday.

“For me, it’s consistency, which I pridefulness myself on. Showing up each day,” Turner said of the batting title. “Certain awards you’ve got to suffice for. You person to person a definite fig of at-bats and it’s hard to suffice if you’re not retired determination connected the field. That’s portion of preparing and portion of being lucky. It’s been a bully play from a wellness standpoint.

“Any clip you tin triumph thing successful this league it’s special. It’s beauteous chill and I’m arrogant of it.”

Turner’s accomplishment was a bi-coastal batting title. But helium didn’t admit the added grade of trouble that came with continuing to execute aft a mid-season commercialized and presumption alteration (from shortstop to 2nd base).

“Focus connected 1 time astatine a clip and 1 at-bat astatine a time. Control what you tin control,” Turner said. “A batch of things are retired of my power and don’t needfully impact me. If you fto your emotions get the champion of you 1 mode oregon the different past it’s going to beryllium a agelong season. For me, conscionable determination connected from occurrence and failure. Keep learning and support having fun. How I attack each time I deliberation is what allowed maine to beryllium successful this situation.”

Starting pitcher Walker Buehler was campaigning for much honors for Turner.

“I don’t cognize wherefore Trea isn’t getting spoken astir for MVP arsenic much. He’s had an highly peculiar year. He’s had a twelvemonth that not a batch of players tin have,” Buehler said of Turner, who besides led the majors successful hits (195) and the National League successful stolen bases (32). “We’ve seen it for a mates months present and evidently what helium was doing successful Washington. He’s a peculiar subordinate and a game-changing player.”

ROSTER MOVE

Before Sunday’s game, the Dodgers added right-hander Andre Jackson to the progressive roster and optioned right-hander Mitch White who pitched an inning successful Saturday’s game.

Jackson made his 3rd big-league quality Sunday, pitching the last 3 innings and signaling his archetypal vocation save.

UP NEXT

Wild-card playoff crippled – Cardinals (RHP Adam Wainwright, 17-7, 3.05 ERA) astatine Dodgers (RHP Max Scherzer, 15-4, 2.46 ERA), Wednesday, 5:10 p.m., TBS, 570 AM