Rockies' Morneau wins NL batting title
Colorado Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau sat his way to a National League batting title.
Morneau, who owned a .319 batting average heading into the weekend, was not included in manager Walt Weiss' lineup for a second consecutive day on Sunday in an attempt to preserve his advantage as the league leader.
#Rockies 1B Justin Morneau has the lowest batting average (.319) for a National League season leader since Terry Pendleton in 1991 (.319)
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) September 28, 2014
Fellow Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer won the NL batting title last year with a .331 average.
Pirates third baseman Josh Harrison was Morneau's closest competitor for the honor, and he entered play Sunday just one point behind. However, he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in a 4-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, thus lowering his average to .315.
It's Morneau's first career batting title, although he has accumulated other accolades throughout his career, including being a four-time All-Star, 2006 American League MVP, and 2008 Home Run Derby champion.