Baseball | Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer is voted American League MVP

NEW YORK — Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins sat behind a table on a podium in a conference room at the Metrodome when Justin Morneau shouted out the last question.

"Are you finally going to buy dinner now?" Morneau said to his teammate from the audience, one MVP to another.

Mauer became the second catcher in 33 years to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award, finishing first in a near-unanimous vote Monday. He received 27 of 28 first-place votes and 387 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Mark Teixeira (225 points) and Derek Jeter (193) of the New York Yankees were next in the voting. Detroit's Miguel Cabrera (171) drew the other first-place vote and was fourth.

Cabrera's first-place vote was cast by Seattle-based Keizo Konishi, who works for Kyodo News of Japan.

There are two MVP voters from each American League city. Larry Stone of The Seattle Times voted for Mauer first, Jeter second and Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox third. Youkilis finished sixth in the voting.

Mariners outfielder Ichiro (33) was ninth.

Mauer became the second Minnesota player to win in four years; Morneau won in 2006. Morneau gave Mauer a bottle of champagne.

"Hopefully we can pop that open here a little later," Mauer said.

Born in St. Paul, Minn., the 26-year-old can become a free agent after the 2010 season, when he is to make $12.5 million. Minnesota is expected to try to sign him to a new deal.

"I've always said it will happen when it needs to happen and I truly believe that," Mauer said.

Mauer said his preference is to stay with the Twins.

Twins general manager Bill Smith didn't want to address the business side Monday.

"All that contract stuff, that's for another day," Smith said.

Mauer set a major-league record for highest batting average by a catcher (.365) and won his third batting title, becoming the first repeat batting champion since Nomar Garciaparra for Boston in 1999-2000.

"I love catching. I love the demands that are put on me and the responsibilities that I have, although it might beat you up a little bit physically and mentally," Mauer said.

After missing April with a back injury, Mauer homered on his first swing of the season and went on to lead the league in batting average, on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.587), the first AL player to top all three categories in the same year since George Brett of Kansas City in 1980.

Mauer set career bests with 28 homers and 96 runs batted in. He batted .378 from Sept. 13 on after Morneau's season-ending back injury, helping the Twins overtake Detroit for the AL Central title. He was voted to his third All-Star team and won his second consecutive Gold Glove.

Texas' Ivan Rodriguez in 1999 had been the lone catcher since the Yankees' Thurman Munson in 1976 to be the American League MVP.

Note

• Omar Vizquel is joining a team with a long history of Venezuelan shortstops, and that was part of the attraction in coming to the Chicago White Sox.

The 42-year-old Vizquel, an 11-time Gold Glove winner, agreed to one-year contract worth $1.375 million to add depth, experience and perhaps advice to a young infield. Last season, the White Sox made 113 errors. Former Mariner Vizquel will play for manager — and fellow Venezuelan — Ozzie Guillen, 45, a former shortstop. Vizquel usually wears No. 13, but that belongs to Guillen.

"That's going to be a hard thing," Vizquel said. "I don't think Ozzie is going to give up his number."