Alexandria, VA - For the fifth year, Dr. Jay Bennett, statistician and member of the Statistics in Sports Section of the American Statistical Association (ASA), used statistical calculations called Player Game Percentage (PGP) to identify which players were the heroes of the 2000 World Series.

Player Game Percentage (PGP) is a technique developed by Bennett and fellow Statistics in Sports Section member Dr. John Flueck to estimate the value of baseball player performance based on the player's contribution to victory. The Yankees had several strong candidates for Series MVP. Reliever Mike Stanton (PGP/Game 4.4) delivered perfect relief and won two of the games. Second baseman Jose Vizciano (PGP/Game 3.9) had best single game performance of any player. Shortstop and official MVP Derek Jeter (PGP/Game 3.8) had consistently good performances in every game.

The final MVP honor according to the PGP statistical analysis went to pitcher Mariano Rivera (PGP/Game 5.7), who was on the mound to end all four Yankee victories.

Sports fans can check the final analysis of the Most Valuable and Least Valuable Players (MVPs and LVPs), as well as the game's ten most important plays on the ASA's Statistics in Sports Section Web site at www.amstat.org/sections/sis/.

PGP measures each player's contribution to team victory, whether offensive or defensive, and numerically scores its significance to the game's outcome. The web site tracks the Series through the latest game by identifying the Series MVP and LVP in each game as determined by PGP, the MVP and LVP in the Series to date, PGP evaluations for each player to date, and the ten biggest plays of the Series. A brief explanation of PGP can be found at www.amstat.org/sections/sis/pgp/. Additional information about PGP can be obtained from Dr. Bennett by contacting Megan Kruse of the American Statistical Association at (703) 684-1221, extension 121.

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