Cy Young Award
| Cy Young Award | |
|---|---|
| File:Cy Young Award.jpg The Cy Young Award | |
| Description | Major League Baseball's Best Regular Season Pitcher |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Baseball Writers Association of America |
| First awarded | 1956 |
| Currently held by | R.A. Dickey, National League David Price, American League |
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955. The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, but in 1967, after the retirement of Frick, the award was given to one pitcher in each league.[1][2]
Each league's award is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, with one representative from each team, which means 14 ballots are cast for the American League winner, and 16 ballots are cast for the National League.[1] As of the 2010 season, each voter places a vote for first, second, third, fourth and fifth place among the pitchers of each league. The formula used to calculate the final scores is a weighted sum of the votes.[A] The pitcher with the highest score in each league wins the award.[1] If two pitchers receive the same number of votes, the award is shared.[3] The current formula started in the 2010 season. Before that, dating back to 1970, writers voted for three pitchers, with the formula of 5 points for a first place vote, 3 for a second place vote and 1 for a third place vote. Prior to 1970, writers only voted for the best pitcher and used a formula of one point per vote.[1]
History
The Cy Young Award was first introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955.[1] The award would be given to pitchers only. Originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, the award changed its format over time. From 1956 to 1966, the award was given to one pitcher in Major League Baseball. After Frick retired in 1967, William Eckert became the new Commissioner of Baseball. Due to fan requests, Eckert announced that the Cy Young Award would be given out both in the American League and the National League.[1] From 1956 to 1958, a pitcher was not allowed to win the award on more than one occasion; this rule was eliminated in 1959. After a tie in the 1969 voting, the process was changed, in which each writer was to vote for three different pitchers: the first-place vote received five points, the second-place vote received three points, and the third-place vote received one point.[1]
The first recipient of the Cy Young Award was Don Newcombe of the Dodgers, and the most recent winners are R.A. Dickey, from the National League, and David Price, from the American League.[1][4] In 1957, Warren Spahn became the first left-handed pitcher to win the award. In 1963, Sandy Koufax became the first pitcher to win the award in a unanimous vote; two years later he became the first multiple winner. In 1974, Mike Marshall won the award, becoming the first relief pitcher to win the award.[1] In 1978, Gaylord Perry (age 40) became the oldest pitcher to receive the award, only to have the record broken in 2004 by Roger Clemens (age 42).[1] The youngest recipient was Dwight Gooden (age 20 in 1985). In 2012, R.A. Dickey became the first knuckleball pitcher to win. Steve Carlton in 1982 became the first pitcher to win more than three Cy Young Awards, while Greg Maddux in 1994 became the first to win at least three in a row (and received a fourth straight the following year), a feat later repeated by Randy Johnson.
Winners
Key
| Year | Each year is linked to an article about that Major League Baseball season. |
| ERA | Earned run average |
| * | Also named Most Valuable Player |
| ** | Also named Rookie of the Year |
| † | Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |
Major Leagues combined (1956–1966)
| Year | Pitcher | Team | Record[B] | Saves[C] | ERA | Ks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Don Newcombe* | Brooklyn Dodgers (NL) | 27–7 | 0 | 3.06 | 139 |
| 1957 | Warren Spahn† | Milwaukee Braves (NL) | 21–11 | 3 | 2.69 | 111 |
| 1958 | Bob Turley | New York Yankees (AL) | 21–7 | 1 | 2.97 | 168 |
| 1959 | Early Wynn† | Chicago White Sox (AL) | 22–10 | 0 | 3.17 | 179 |
| 1960 | Vern Law | Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) | 20–9 | 0 | 3.08 | 120 |
| 1961 | Whitey Ford† | New York Yankees (AL) | 25–4 | 0 | 3.21 | 209 |
| 1962 | Don Drysdale† | Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) | 25–9 | 1 | 2.84 | 232 |
| 1963 | Sandy Koufax*† | Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) | 25–5 | 0 | 1.88 | 306 |
| 1964 | Dean Chance | Los Angeles Angels (AL) | 20–9 | 4 | 1.65 | 207 |
| 1965 | Sandy Koufax† | Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) | 26–8 | 2 | 2.04 | 382 |
| 1966 | Sandy Koufax† | Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) | 27–9 | 0 | 1.73 | 317 |
National League (1967–present)
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American League (1967–present)
Multiple winners
There have been 16 pitchers who have won the award multiple times. Roger Clemens currently holds the record for the most awards won, with seven. Greg Maddux (1992–1995) and Randy Johnson (1999–2002) share the record for the most consecutive awards won. Clemens, Johnson, Pedro Martínez, Gaylord Perry, and Roy Halladay are the only pitchers to have won the award in both the American League and National League; Sandy Koufax is the only pitcher who won multiple awards during the period when only one award was presented for all of Major League Baseball. Roger Clemens was the youngest pitcher to win a second Cy Young Award, while Tim Lincecum is the youngest pitcher to do so in the National League. Justin Verlander is the most recent Cy Young Award winner to have won the MVP in the same season, doing so in 2011.
| Pitcher | # of Awards | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Roger Clemens | 1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004 | |
| Randy Johnson | 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 | |
| Steve Carlton | 1972, 1977, 1980, 1982 | |
| Greg Maddux | 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 | |
| Sandy Koufax | 1963, 1965, 1966 | |
| Pedro Martínez | 1997, 1999, 2000 | |
| Jim Palmer | 1973, 1975, 1976 | |
| Tom Seaver | 1969, 1973, 1975 | |
| Bob Gibson | 1968, 1970 | |
| Tom Glavine | 1991, 1998 | |
| Denny McLain | 1968, 1969 | |
| Gaylord Perry | 1972, 1978 | |
| Bret Saberhagen | 1985, 1989 | |
| Johan Santana | 2004, 2006 | |
| Tim Lincecum | 2008, 2009 | |
| Roy Halladay | 2003, 2010 |
Wins by teams
Only five teams have never had a pitcher win the Cy Young Award. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have won more than any other team with 10.
| Team | # of Awards | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers | 1956, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1981, 1988, 2003, 2011 | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 1972, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 2010 | |
| Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves | 1957, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 | |
| Baltimore Orioles | 1969, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980 | |
| Boston Red Sox | 1967, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1999, 2000 | |
| Oakland Athletics | 1971, 1974, 1990, 1992, 2002 | |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006 | |
| New York Mets | 1969, 1973, 1975, 1985, 2012 | |
| New York Yankees | 1958, 1961, 1977, 1978, 2001 | |
| Chicago Cubs | 1971, 1979, 1984, 1992 | |
| Detroit Tigers | 1968, 1969, 1984, 2011 | |
| Kansas City Royals | 1985, 1989, 1994, 2009 | |
| Minnesota Twins | 1970, 1988, 2004, 2006 | |
| San Diego Padres | 1976, 1978, 1989, 2007 | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 1996, 1997, 1998, 2003 | |
| Chicago White Sox | 1959, 1983, 1993 | |
| Cleveland Indians | 1972, 2007, 2008 | |
| San Francisco Giants | 1967, 2008, 2009 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 1968, 1970, 2005 | |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 1964, 2005 | |
| Houston Astros | 1986, 2004 | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 1981, 1982 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 1960, 1990 | |
| Seattle Mariners | 1995, 2010 | |
| Montreal Expos | 1997 | |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 2012 | |
| Cincinnati Reds | none | |
| Colorado Rockies | none | |
| Miami Marlins | none | |
| Texas Rangers | none | |
| Washington Nationals | none |
Unanimous winners
There have been 10 people who have unanimously won the Cy Young award in the National League.
- Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965, 1966)
- Greg Maddux (1994, 1995)
- Bob Gibson (1968)
- Steve Carlton (1972)
- Rick Sutcliffe (1984)
- Dwight Gooden (1985)
- Orel Hershiser (1988)
- Randy Johnson (2002)
- Jake Peavy (2007)
- Roy Halladay (2010)
There have been six people who have unanimously won the Cy Young award in the American League.
- Denny McLain (1968)
- Ron Guidry (1978)
- Roger Clemens (1986, 1998)
- Pedro Martinez (1999, 2000)
- Johan Santana (2004, 2006)
- Justin Verlander (2011)
Notes
- A The formula is: Score = 7F + 4S + 3T + 2FO + 1 FI, where F is the number of first place votes, S is second place votes, T is third place votes, FO is fourth place votes and FI is fifth place votes.[1]
- a b c See: Decision (baseball)
- a b c In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. It became an official statistic in Major League Baseball in 1969.
See also
- Triple Crown (pitching)
- Pitcher of the Month
- MLB Delivery Man of the Year Award
- GIBBY Awards (in MLB; including starting pitcher, setup pitcher, and closer)
- Baseball Digest Pitcher of the Year (in MLB)
- Players Choice Awards Outstanding Pitcher (in each league)
- Baseball Prospectus Internet Baseball Awards Cy Young (in each league)
- NLBM Wilbur "Bullet" Rogan Legacy Award ("Pitchers of the Year") (in each league)
- TSN Pitcher of the Year (in each league)
- USA Today Cy Young (in each league)
- NLBM Hilton Smith Legacy Award ("Relievers of the Year") (in each league)
- TSN Reliever of the Year (in each league)
- Rolaids Relief Man Award (in each league)
- Warren Spahn Award (best left-handed pitcher)
- Major League Baseball All-Century Team
- Major League Baseball All-Time Team
- "Pitching Wall of Great Achievement" (in the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame)
References
- General
- "Cy Young Award on Baseball Almanac". BaseballAlmanac.com. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
- "Cy Young Award winners". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
- "Most Valuable Player MVP Awards & Cy Young Awards Winners". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
- "Cy Young Award Winners (American League)". MSN. Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - "Cy Young Award voting results". Baseball Digest. 2004. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- Specific
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Cy Young Award on Baseball Almanac". BaseballAlmanac.com. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
- ^ "Cy Young Award Winners (American League)". MSN. Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Cy Young Award voting results". Baseball Digest. 2004. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ "Cy Young Award winners". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
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