Boston Red Sox Jason Bay hits a two-run home run against Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the fourth inning of their MLB American League baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts September 17, 2009. REUTERS/Brian SnyderBRIAN SNYDER/Reuters
Star left-fielder Jason Bay was named the Tip O'Neill Award winner as the top Canadian in baseball for the third time Thursday.
The Trail, B.C., native, currently a free agent after posting a monster season for the Boston Red Sox, also claimed the honour handed out by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 and '05.
The three wins leave him second on the all-time list to Larry Walker's nine. Justin Morneau and Eric Gagne are the only other two-time winners.
Bay won his first Silver Slugger in 2009 and played in the all-star Game for the third time. He batted .267 with 36 homers and 119 RBIs to help lead the Red Sox into the playoffs, helping carry the offensive load early in the season while others, notably David Ortiz, slumped.
Morneau, the 2006 and '08 winner, finished second in the voting. He hit 30 homers with 100 RBIs before a stress fracture in his back cut short his season with the Minnesota Twins in September.
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who batted .322 with 25 homers and 84 RBIs while battling anxiety and depression, was third.