Donaldson credits Zito for helping him win AL MVP

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Josh Donaldson credits an encounter with Barry Zito three years ago for guiding him down the path to becoming American League MVP.

The former Oakland Athletics third baseman accepted the award Jan. 23, and recalled a time when he noticed the former San Francisco Giants left-hander had a higher batting average than he did.

"He's one of the big reasons why I'm here today, because I looked up at the scoreboard in 2012 and he was hitting about 40 points higher than I was," Donaldson said. "It made me realize I needed to change a few things. I gotta thank Barry for showing up that year and bringing the stick."

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Donaldson entered that 2012 tilt slashing .082/.080/.102 with 16 strikeouts through his first 14 games, while Zito was hitting .133/.133/.133 after going 2-for-15 to start the year.

The third baseman would take Zito deep for his second career homer in the third inning and finished the game 3-for-4 with five RBIs. He also ended the day having boosted his average over the left-hander's by seven points, and went on to finish the season hitting .267/.325/.434 over his final 60 games.

Donaldson has since emerged as one of the game's premier players and blasted a career-high 41 home runs and 123 RBIs in 2015, though none came against Zito.