MVP Talk: PK Reaches 2K In Loss

Paul Konerko ripped a game-tying RBI single to right field in the eighth inning Tuesday night for the 2,000th hit of his career.

Click here to see a replay of PK’s milestone.

The White Sox went on to lose 5-4 to the Angels and fall 6.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the race for the Central crown.

It’s unfortunate, because just like last year, Konerko is in the MVP conversation, and arguably the most valuable one player to any team in the American League.

The walk-off loss epitomizes the relationship between Konerko and his team. He’s been playing on one leg the entire month, doing everything he can to get the team where it needs to be. He gets clutch hit after clutch hit, but the team can’t rally around him.

Since being drilled in the left knee by a 95-mph Andrew Miller offering on July 31, Konerko hasn’t been able to play in the field, and he can barely run the bases.

Regardless, he’s hitting .382 this month with three homers and 10 RBIs.

At .317/28/86 for the season, Konerko is just a little off the pace of last year’s .312/39/111. Konerko had more protection last year than he has this year, especially when Alex Rios or Adam Dunn hit behind him…you wonder why he sees any strikes at all.

The White Sox owe it to Konerko to make a run and win the A.L. Central so he can finally get some recognition for what he’s achieved with this team. He finished fifth in the voting last year when the team took second place, six games behind the Minnesota Twins.

The only way he has a chance to overtake Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Curtis Granderson, Justin Verlander and Jose Bautista is with a playoff berth.