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Cy Young Award

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Cy Young Award
The 1971 Cy Young Award won by Ferguson Jenkins, on display in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
SportBaseball
LeagueMajor League Baseball
Awarded forBest regular season pitcher in American League and National League
CountryUnited States, Canada
Presented byBaseball Writers' Association of America
History
First award1956 (Don Newcombe)
Most winsRoger Clemens (7)
Most recentBlake Snell (NL)
Gerrit Cole (AL)

The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford C. 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 (BBWAA). Local BBWAA chapter chairmen in each MLB city recommend two writers to vote for each award. Final approval comes from the BBWAA national secretrary-treasurer. Writers vote for either the American League or National League awards, depending on the league in which their local team plays.[3] A total of 30 writers vote for each league's awards. Writers cast their votes prior to the start of postseason play.[4]

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.[5] From 1970 to 2009, writers voted for three pitchers, with the formula of five points for a first-place vote, three for a second-place vote and one for a third-place vote. Before 1970, writers only voted for the best pitcher and used a formula of one point per vote.[1]

History

[edit]
Cy Young, for whom the award is named

The Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball Ford C. Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955.[1] 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 for the Cy Young Award, the process was changed, in which each writer was to vote for three 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. The Dodgers are the franchise with the most Cy Young Awards. 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 1978, Gaylord Perry (age 40) became the oldest pitcher to receive the award, a record that stood until 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 the award.[6]

In 1974, Mike Marshall became the first relief pitcher to win the award.[1] In 1992, Dennis Eckersley was the first modern closer (first player to be used almost exclusively in ninth-inning situations)[7][8][9] to win the award, and since then only one other relief pitcher has won the award, Éric Gagné in 2003 (also a closer). A total of nine relief pitchers have won the Cy Young Award across both leagues.[10]

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.[11]

Winners

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Key
Year Each year is linked to an article about that Major League Baseball season.
ERA Earned run average
(#) Number of wins by pitchers who have won the award multiple times
* Also named Most Valuable Player (11 occurrences as of 2023)
** Also named Rookie of the Year (1 occurrence as of 2023, by Fernando Valenzuela)
† Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (21 individuals as of 2023)

Major Leagues combined (1956–1966)

[edit]
Don Newcombe, the first winner
Year Pitcher Team Record[B] Saves[C] ERA K's
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† (2) Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) 26–8 2 2.04 382
1966 Sandy Koufax† (3) Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) 27–9 0 1.73 317

American League (1967–present)

[edit]
Gerrit Cole, 2023 AL winner
Year Pitcher Team Record[B] Saves[C] ERA K's
1967 Jim Lonborg Boston Red Sox 22–9 0 3.16 246
1968 Denny McLain* Detroit Tigers 31–6 0 1.96 280
1969 Mike Cuellar Baltimore Orioles 23–11 0 2.38 182
1969 Denny McLain (2) Detroit Tigers 24–9 0 2.80 181
1970 Jim Perry Minnesota Twins 24–12 0 3.04 168
1971 Vida Blue* Oakland Athletics 24–8 0 1.82 301
1972 Gaylord Perry† Cleveland Indians 24–16 1 1.92 234
1973 Jim Palmer† Baltimore Orioles 22–9 1 2.40 168
1974 Catfish Hunter† Oakland Athletics 25–12 0 2.49 143
1975 Jim Palmer† (2) Baltimore Orioles 23–11 1 2.09 193
1976 Jim Palmer† (3) Baltimore Orioles 22–13 0 2.51 159
1977 Sparky Lyle New York Yankees 13–5 26 2.17 68
1978 Ron Guidry New York Yankees 25–3 0 1.74 248
1979 Mike Flanagan Baltimore Orioles 23–9 0 3.08 190
1980 Steve Stone Baltimore Orioles 25–7 0 3.23 149
1981 Rollie Fingers*† Milwaukee Brewers 6–3 28 1.04 61
1982 Pete Vuckovich Milwaukee Brewers 18–6 0 3.34 105
1983 LaMarr Hoyt Chicago White Sox 24–10 0 3.66 148
1984 Willie Hernández* Detroit Tigers 9–3 32 1.92 112
1985 Bret Saberhagen Kansas City Royals 20–6 0 2.87 158
1986 Roger Clemens* Boston Red Sox 24–4 0 2.48 238
1987 Roger Clemens (2) Boston Red Sox 20–9 0 2.97 256
1988 Frank Viola Minnesota Twins 24–7 0 2.64 193
1989 Bret Saberhagen (2) Kansas City Royals 23–6 0 2.16 193
1990 Bob Welch Oakland Athletics 27–6 0 2.95 127
1991 Roger Clemens (3) Boston Red Sox 18–10 0 2.62 241
1992 Dennis Eckersley*† Oakland Athletics 7–1 51 1.91 93
1993 Jack McDowell Chicago White Sox 22–10 0 3.37 158
1994 David Cone Kansas City Royals 16–5 0 2.94 132
1995 Randy Johnson† Seattle Mariners 18–2 0 2.48 294
1996 Pat Hentgen Toronto Blue Jays 20–10 0 3.22 177
1997 Roger Clemens (4) Toronto Blue Jays 21–7 0 2.05 292
1998 Roger Clemens (5) Toronto Blue Jays 20–6 0 2.65 271
1999 Pedro Martínez† (2) Boston Red Sox 23–4 0 2.07 313
2000 Pedro Martínez† (3) Boston Red Sox 18–6 0 1.74 284
2001 Roger Clemens (6) New York Yankees 20–3 0 3.51 213
2002 Barry Zito Oakland Athletics 23–5 0 2.75 182
2003 Roy Halladay† Toronto Blue Jays 22–7 0 3.25 204
2004 Johan Santana Minnesota Twins 20–6 0 2.61 265
2005 Bartolo Colón Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 21–8 0 3.48 157
2006 Johan Santana (2) Minnesota Twins 19–6 0 2.77 265
2007 CC Sabathia Cleveland Indians 19–7 0 3.21 209
2008 Cliff Lee Cleveland Indians 22–3 0 2.54 170
2009 Zack Greinke Kansas City Royals 16–8 0 2.16 242
2010 Félix Hernández Seattle Mariners 13–12 0 2.27 232
2011 Justin Verlander* Detroit Tigers 24–5 0 2.40 250
2012 David Price Tampa Bay Rays 20–5 0 2.56 205
2013 Max Scherzer Detroit Tigers 21–3 0 2.90 240
2014 Corey Kluber Cleveland Indians 18–9 0 2.44 269
2015 Dallas Keuchel Houston Astros 20–8 0 2.48 216
2016 Rick Porcello Boston Red Sox 22–4 0 3.15 189
2017 Corey Kluber (2) Cleveland Indians 18–4 0 2.25 265
2018 Blake Snell Tampa Bay Rays 21–5 0 1.89 221
2019 Justin Verlander (2) Houston Astros 21–6 0 2.58 300
2020 Shane Bieber Cleveland Indians 8–1 0 1.63 122
2021 Robbie Ray Toronto Blue Jays 13–7 0 2.84 248
2022 Justin Verlander (3) Houston Astros 18–4 0 1.75 185
2023 Gerrit Cole New York Yankees 15-4 0 2.63 222

National League (1967–present)

[edit]
Blake Snell, 2023 NL winner
Year Pitcher Team Record[B] Saves[C] ERA K's
1967 Mike McCormick San Francisco Giants 22–10 0 2.85 150
1968 Bob Gibson*† St. Louis Cardinals 22–9 0 1.12 268
1969 Tom Seaver† New York Mets 25–7 0 2.21 208
1970 Bob Gibson† (2) St. Louis Cardinals 23–7 0 3.12 274
1971 Ferguson Jenkins† Chicago Cubs 24–13 0 2.77 263
1972 Steve Carlton† Philadelphia Phillies 27–10 0 1.98 310
1973 Tom Seaver† (2) New York Mets 19–10 0 2.08 251
1974 Mike Marshall Los Angeles Dodgers 15–12 21 2.42 143
1975 Tom Seaver† (3) New York Mets 22–9 0 2.38 243
1976 Randy Jones San Diego Padres 22–14 0 2.74 93
1977 Steve Carlton† (2) Philadelphia Phillies 23–10 0 2.64 198
1978 Gaylord Perry† (2) San Diego Padres 21–6 0 2.73 154
1979 Bruce Sutter† Chicago Cubs 6–6 37 2.22 110
1980 Steve Carlton† (3) Philadelphia Phillies 24–9 0 2.34 286
1981 Fernando Valenzuela** Los Angeles Dodgers 13–7 0 2.48 180
1982 Steve Carlton† (4) Philadelphia Phillies 23–11 0 3.11 286
1983 John Denny Philadelphia Phillies 19–6 0 2.37 139
1984 Rick Sutcliffe Chicago Cubs 16–1 0 2.69 155
1985 Dwight Gooden New York Mets 24–4 0 1.53 268
1986 Mike Scott Houston Astros 18–10 0 2.22 306
1987 Steve Bedrosian Philadelphia Phillies 5–3 40 2.83 74
1988 Orel Hershiser Los Angeles Dodgers 23–8 1 2.26 178
1989 Mark Davis San Diego Padres 4–3 44 1.85 92
1990 Doug Drabek Pittsburgh Pirates 22–6 0 2.76 131
1991 Tom Glavine† Atlanta Braves 20–11 0 2.55 192
1992 Greg Maddux† Chicago Cubs 20–11 0 2.18 199
1993 Greg Maddux† (2) Atlanta Braves 20–10 0 2.36 197
1994 Greg Maddux† (3) Atlanta Braves 16–6 0 1.56 156
1995 Greg Maddux† (4) Atlanta Braves 19–2 0 1.63 181
1996 John Smoltz† Atlanta Braves 24–8 0 2.94 276
1997 Pedro Martínez† Montreal Expos 17–8 0 1.90 305
1998 Tom Glavine† (2) Atlanta Braves 20–6 0 2.47 157
1999 Randy Johnson† (2) Arizona Diamondbacks 17–9 0 2.49 364
2000 Randy Johnson† (3) Arizona Diamondbacks 19–7 0 2.64 347
2001 Randy Johnson† (4) Arizona Diamondbacks 21–6 0 2.49 372
2002 Randy Johnson† (5) Arizona Diamondbacks 24–5 0 2.32 334
2003 Éric Gagné Los Angeles Dodgers 2–3 55 1.20 137
2004 Roger Clemens (7) Houston Astros 18–4 0 2.98 218
2005 Chris Carpenter St. Louis Cardinals 21–5 0 2.83 213
2006 Brandon Webb Arizona Diamondbacks 16–8 0 3.10 178
2007 Jake Peavy San Diego Padres 19–6 0 2.54 240
2008 Tim Lincecum San Francisco Giants 18–5 0 2.62 265
2009 Tim Lincecum (2) San Francisco Giants 15–7 0 2.48 261
2010 Roy Halladay† (2) Philadelphia Phillies 21–10 0 2.44 219
2011 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers 21–5 0 2.28 248
2012 R. A. Dickey New York Mets 20–6 0 2.73 230
2013 Clayton Kershaw (2) Los Angeles Dodgers 16–9 0 1.83 232
2014 Clayton Kershaw* (3) Los Angeles Dodgers 21–3 0 1.77 239
2015 Jake Arrieta Chicago Cubs 22–6 0 1.77 236
2016 Max Scherzer (2) Washington Nationals 20–7 0 2.96 284
2017 Max Scherzer (3) Washington Nationals 16–6 0 2.51 268
2018 Jacob deGrom New York Mets 10–9 0 1.70 269
2019 Jacob deGrom (2) New York Mets 11–8 0 2.43 255
2020 Trevor Bauer Cincinnati Reds 5–4 0 1.73 100
2021 Corbin Burnes Milwaukee Brewers 11–5 0 2.43 234
2022 Sandy Alcántara Miami Marlins 14–9 0 2.28 207
2023 Blake Snell (2) San Diego Padres 14–9 0 2.25 234

Multiple winners

[edit]
With 7, Roger Clemens has the most Cy Young Awards.
Randy Johnson, five-time winner

Twenty-two (22) pitchers have won the award multiple times. Roger Clemens currently holds the record for the most awards won, with seven – his first and last wins separated by eighteen years. Greg Maddux (1992–1995) and Randy Johnson (1999–2002) share the record for the most consecutive awards won with four. Clemens, Johnson, Pedro Martínez, Gaylord Perry, Roy Halladay, Max Scherzer, and Blake Snell 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, and Clayton Kershaw is the youngest left-hander to do so. Clayton Kershaw is the youngest pitcher to win a third Cy Young Award. Clemens is also the only pitcher to win the Cy Young Award with four different teams; nobody else has done so with more than two different teams. Justin Verlander has the most seasons separating his first (2011) and second (2019) Cy Young Awards.

Pitcher # of Awards Years
Roger Clemens 7 1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004
Randy Johnson † 5 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
Steve Carlton † 4 1972, 1977, 1980, 1982
Greg Maddux † 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
Sandy Koufax † 3 1963, 1965, 1966
Tom Seaver † 1969, 1973, 1975
Jim Palmer † 1973, 1975, 1976
Pedro Martínez † 1997, 1999, 2000
Clayton Kershaw 2011, 2013, 2014
Max Scherzer 2013, 2016, 2017
Justin Verlander 2011, 2019, 2022
Denny McLain 2 1968, 1969
Bob Gibson † 1968, 1970
Gaylord Perry † 1972, 1978
Bret Saberhagen 1985, 1989
Tom Glavine † 1991, 1998
Johan Santana 2004, 2006
Tim Lincecum 2008, 2009
Roy Halladay † 2003, 2010
Corey Kluber 2014, 2017
Jacob deGrom 2018, 2019
Blake Snell 2018, 2023

Wins by teams

[edit]

Only two teams have never had a pitcher win the Cy Young Award. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have won more than any other team with 12.

Team # of Awards Years
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers 12 1956, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1981, 1988, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2014
Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves 7 1957, 1991, 1993–1996, 1998
Philadelphia Phillies 1972, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 2010
Boston Red Sox 1967, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2016
New York Mets 1969, 1973, 1975, 1985, 2012, 2018, 2019
Baltimore Orioles 6 1969, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980
Cleveland Indians 1972, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2017, 2020
New York Yankees 1958, 1961, 1977, 1978, 2001, 2023
Arizona Diamondbacks 5 1999–2002, 2006
Detroit Tigers 1968, 1969, 1984, 2011, 2013
Oakland Athletics 1971, 1974, 1990, 1992, 2002
Chicago Cubs 1971, 1979, 1984, 1992, 2015
Toronto Blue Jays 1996–1998, 2003, 2021
Houston Astros 1986, 2004, 2015, 2019, 2022
San Diego Padres 1976, 1978, 1989, 2007, 2023
Kansas City Royals 4 1985, 1989, 1994, 2009
Minnesota Twins 1970, 1988, 2004, 2006
Chicago White Sox 3 1959, 1983, 1993
San Francisco Giants 1967, 2008, 2009
St. Louis Cardinals 1968, 1970, 2005
Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals 1997, 2016, 2017
Milwaukee Brewers 1981, 1982, 2021
Los Angeles Angels 2 1964, 2005
Pittsburgh Pirates 1960, 1990
Seattle Mariners 1995, 2010
Tampa Bay Rays 2012, 2018
Cincinnati Reds 1 2020
Miami Marlins 2022
Colorado Rockies 0 none
Texas Rangers none

Unanimous winners

[edit]

There have been 20 players who unanimously won the Cy Young Award, for a total of 27 wins.

Six of these unanimous wins were accompanied by a win of the Most Valuable Player award (marked with * below; ** denotes that the player's unanimous win was accompanied by a unanimous win of the MVP Award).

In the National League, 12 players have unanimously won the Cy Young Award, for a total of 15 wins.

In the American League, eight players have unanimously won the Cy Young Award, for a total of 12 wins.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  • A The formula is: Score = 7F + 4S + 3T + 2FO + 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.

References

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Specific

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Cy Young Award on Baseball Almanac". Baseball Almanac. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  2. ^ "Cy Young Award Winners (American League)". Encarta. Archived from the original on November 1, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  3. ^ "Voting FAQ – BBWAA". www.bbwaa.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  4. ^ "AL & NL Cy Young Award Odds". www.sportsbetting3.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "Cy Young Award voting results". Baseball Digest. 2004. Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  6. ^ Rubin, Adam (November 14, 2012). "R. A. Dickey wins NL Cy Young". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Zimniuch, Fran (August 1, 2018). Baseball's New Frontier: A History of Expansion, 1961-1998. U of Nebraska Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-4962-1004-3. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "MLB on Yahoo! Sports – News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  9. ^ Jenkins, Chris (September 25, 2006). "Where's the fire?". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011.
  10. ^ Kepner, Tyler (October 1, 2016). "Zach Britton Is Perfectly Unorthodox Choice for Cy Young Award". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  11. ^ Francis, Corey (September 3, 2016). "Chicago Cubs: This is not the Arrieta we were looking for". cubbiescrib.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.

General

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