Associated Press
CHICAGO — In honor of Tim Anderson becoming the third Chicago White Sox player to win an American League batting title, a single bottle of champagne sat chilling in his locker on Sunday.
The 26-year-old shortstop from Tuscaloosa is hoping for a team-wide toast next season.
“Now I think it’s time to get on the winning side of things,” said Anderson, who graduated from Hillcrest High School. “Hopefully, we can continue to be playing at this time next year. We just have to keep coming together as a team and keep having fun. I think we’re getting there.”
Anderson finished at .335 after going 0 for 2 in a season-ending 5-3 win over the worst-in-the-majors Detroit Tigers.
He grounded out in the first inning, lined out in the third, then was replaced at the start of the fifth. He received a standing ovation and took a curtain call after the team announced the batting title on the scoreboard in the sixth.
DJ LeMahieu of the Yankees was second at .327 after an 0 for 3 finish.
“It’s such a huge accomplishment,” Anderson said. “To think where I was when I first came here to where it is now. . I just came in and continued to work. It’s such an unbelievable moment for me.”
He joined Luke Appling (1936 and 1943) and Frank Thomas (1997) as batting champions for the White Sox. Anderson hit .240 in 567 at-bats last season.
“He will continue to improve in all aspects of his game,” Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. “He will continue to be a guy that helps ignite us. If he’s not a star now, he’s a star in the making.”
