Justin Turner and Chris Taylor were named 2017 National League Championship Series co-MVPs, marking a second consecutive year it’s been presented to teammates. Javier Baez and Jon Lester were co-NLCS MVPs in 2016 when the Chicago Cubs eliminated the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
Taylor went 4-for-15 with four runs scored, one double, one triple, one home run, two RBI and five walks in the NLCS. Taylor helped set the tone for Game 5 as he worked Jose Quintana for a nine-pitch walk.
Taylor scored the first run of the game, and later scored on Turner’s base hit in the third inning. The award adds to what’s been a remarkable year for Taylor. He began the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City before cementing himself atop the Dodgers lineup.
His emergence coincided with becoming an outfielder and everyday player in center field, filling another need for the Dodgers.
Turner went 5-for-14 with three runs scored, two home runs and six RBI in the NLCS. His walk-off, three-run home run lifted the Dodgers to a 2-0 lead on the 29th anniversary of Kirk Gibon’s game-winning homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
For the entire postseason, Turner is batting .387/.500/.677 with three home runs and 12 RBI. He’s again lived up to a reputation of being one of the Dodgers’ top hitters come October.
The Dodgers’ history of being named NLCS MVP began in 1977 with Dusty Baker receiving the inaugural award. Steve Garvey took it home in 1978, Burt Hooton in 1981, and Orel Hershiser in 1988. Garvey and Hershiser are among the three players to twice win the award in an LCS, but that came with a team other than the Dodgers.
Garvey won it again in 1984 with the San Diego Padres, and Hershiser in 1995 with the Cleveland Indians.
