baseball terms
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Tommy John surgery
Acceptable in all references to ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery. The name references Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, who in 1974 was the first to undergo the procedure.
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opening day
Lowercase when standing alone; the capitalized proper name MLB Opening Day should be avoided except in marketing copy. Refers only to each team’s first game of a new regular season. For the first home game after opening the season on the road, use home opener.
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NL Rookie of the Year
“National League” does not need to be written out on first reference, in headlines or on social media. The proper title is the “Jackie Robinson Award,” yet because this is seldom used, the word “award” does not need to be included but may be added to avoid confusion: Paul Skenes was the first pitcher to be
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AL Rookie of the Year
“American League” does not need to be written out on first reference, in headlines or on social media. The proper title is the “Jackie Robinson Award,” yet because this is seldom used, the word “award” does not need to be included but may be added to avoid confusion: Fred Lynn and Ichiro are the only players
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National League MVP
The proper title does not include the word “award,” but it may be added to avoid confusion: With two weeks to go in the regular season, the National League MVP award is still in play. NL MVP is acceptable on subsequent reference, as is MVP if the league is obvious from the context.
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American League MVP
The proper title does not include the word “award,” but it may be added to avoid confusion: With two weeks to go in the regular season, the American League MVP award is still in play. AL MVP is acceptable on subsequent reference, as is MVP if the league is obvious from the context.
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Cy Young Award
Awarded to the best pitcher in each league. Players do not win “a Cy Young”; Cy Young was a person, not a trophy.
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American League Division Series
Spell out on first reference in copy. ALDS should be used in headlines and in all subsequent references in copy. Use of division series should be used less frequently, and not capitalized if it is used.
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National League Division Series
Spell out on first reference in copy. NLDS should be used in headlines and in all subsequent references in copy. Use of division series should be used less frequently, and not capitalized if it is used.