Mookie Betts wins second straight Gold Glove award

In winning his second straight Gold Glove, Mookie Betts made history Thursday night by becoming just the second Red Sox player in franchise history to win multiple Gold Gloves by the age of 25.

First baseman George Scott is the only other Red Sox player to have won more than one Gold Glove by 25.

Only six other Red Sox players since the award was conceived in 1957 to have won more than once. The others:  Scott, Carl Yastrzemski, Dwight Evans, Fred Lynn, Dustin Pedroia and Frank Malzone.

Betts played more outfield innings than any other major leaguer in 2017 (1,389.1), recording eight assists while being charged with just five errors.  He led all players – regardless of position – in ultimate zone rating (20.5) while finishing second to Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons among all players in defensive runs saved with 31.

In his final 99 games, Betts committed just one error and ended the season with an errorless streak of 51 games.

Major League managers and coaches vote within their own league and are unable to vote for their own players. Those votes account for 75 percent of the selection, with the remaining 25 percent accounted for by the sabermetrics community.

Three other Sox players who were finalists finished short. Pedroia, who has four Gold Gloves to his credit, lost out to Minnesota’s Brian Dozier while Mitch Moreland, who won the A.L. Gold Glove at first base for Texas in 2016, lost to Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer and pitcher Chris Sale finished behind Toronto's Marcus Stroman.