Bonds

Barry Bonds became the first player to win four Most Valuable Player Awards, capping a record-breaking season in which his 73 home runs set the biggest mark of all. The 37-year-old outfielder, who hit .328 with 137 RBIs for the San Francisco Giants, received 30 of 32 first-place ballots and 438 points in voting for the National League award announced Monday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The American League MVP is announced Tuesday. Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa got …

…last reigning MVP to change teams was Bonds, who left Pittsburgh in 1992 to sign with San Francisco. Pujols had the highest finish by a rookie in either league since 1975, when Fred Lynn was voted the AL MVP and Boston teammate Jim Rice finished third. The only other rookie to finish higher than Pujols was Boston Braves shortstop Alvin Dark, third in 1948. Bonds gets a $100,000 bonus for winning the award, while Sosa gets $100,000 for finishing second.