Howard named MVP of All-Star Series

Howard named MVP of All-Star Series

11/08/2006 8:51 AM ET
By Ian Browne / MLB.com

FUKUOKA, Japan -- The Most Valuable Player of the Japan All-Star Series walked into his press conference cradling a victory Big Mac. A man's got to eat, right? Especially one who had done as much heavy lifting as Ryan Howard these past few days.
The Phillies slugger made himself the story of this international showcase for baseball, hitting .558 with eight runs, three doubles, four homers and eight RBIs.

Howard wrapped it up with a modest 2-for-4 performance in Game 5 -- a 5-3 victory which capped a sweep over Nippon Professional Baseball.

Could there be another MVP in Howard's near future? The National League MVP will be handed out on Nov. 20, and Howard (58 homers) is a leading candidate.

"Had to go there, didn't you?" quipped Howard.

The humble man is not one to talk about his chances against the likes of Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltran and the like. But he was more than happy to talk about the show he put on in Japan.

"It was great to win the MVP with the talent we had on this team," said Howard. "To do something like that is special. I just wanted to come out here and have fun and try to put on a good show and help the team win. To be able to win the MVP here is great."

Howard was a show on to himself in Japan. His smile lit up the cameras and his bat never stopped tormenting pitchers he'd never faced before.

He is the next, big star in baseball and it's a role he seems ready to embrace, be it back in Philadelphia or on the other side of the world.

"Baseball transcends just where we are, it's global," said Howard. "For people to cheering for Jose [Reyes] and anybody and everybody on the team is a good feeling."

Reyes was the one who ended the series with a walk-off homer. But Howard, who stroked a game-tying double in Game 5, seemed to be in the role of hero more often than not.

"We came all the way over from the States to come here and play and to play to win," said Howard. "The Japanese team was great, they never stopped fighting. They were in every game. They gave us a good run for our money."

It's just that in the end, there was no stopping the MLB hitters, a powerful group led by a certain slugger who makes his living in Philadelphia.

Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.