American League Cy Young Award trends
Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber is presented with the 2017 American League Cy Young Award. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
September 26th, 2019
The American League has been honoring its most outstanding pitchers since 1967, when Boston Red Sox ace Jim Lonborg became the inaugural recipient of the AL Cy Young Award. A lot has changed since then, with the introduction of closers, openers and mid-inning specialists, but the allure of the award remains.
Here's everything you wanted to know (but were too afraid to ask) about the Junior Circuit's top pitching prize.
Who votes on the Cy Young Award?
The AL Cy Young winner is selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America, an association of professional sports journalists from all 30 MLB venues. Each voter places a ballot for first, second, third, fourth and fifth place, and the votes are tallied to determine a winner.
Can relievers win the Cy Young award?
Absolutely, but it hasn't happened often. The Cy Young has historically skewed heavily toward starting pitchers, with starters winning the award 92% of the time since since 1967.
The Eck. #OTD in 1992, Dennis Eckersley is named American League Most Valuable Player after saving 51 games and compiling a 1.91 ERA. He also won the AL Cy Young Award as legends do. pic.twitter.com/s2roB5E0Zj
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) November 19, 2017
Lefties vs. righties
Left-handers make up 28% of pitchers, and in an act of serendipity, they've won the AL Cy Young award 28% of the time since 1967. Here are the 15 lefties who have finished first in Cy Young balloting:Left-handers who have won the AL Cy Young Award
| Year(s) | Pitcher | Team |
|---|
1969 | Mike Cuellar | Baltimore Orioles |
1971 | Vida Blue | Oakland Athletics |
1977 | Sparky Lyle | New York Yankees |
1978 | Ron Guidry | New York Yankees |
1979 | Mike Flanagan | Mike Flanagan |
1984 | Willie Hernandez | Detroit Tigers |
1988 | Frank Viola | Minnesota Twins |
1995 | Randy Johnson | Seattle Mariners |
2002 | Barry Zito | Oakland Athletics |
2004, 2006 | Johan Santana | Minnesota Twins |
Showing 1 to 10 of 15 entries
Which team has won the most AL Cy Young Awards?
| Year(s) | Pitcher | Team |
|---|
1969 | Mike Cuellar | Baltimore Orioles |
1971 | Vida Blue | Oakland Athletics |
1977 | Sparky Lyle | New York Yankees |
1978 | Ron Guidry | New York Yankees |
1979 | Mike Flanagan | Mike Flanagan |
1984 | Willie Hernandez | Detroit Tigers |
1988 | Frank Viola | Minnesota Twins |
1995 | Randy Johnson | Seattle Mariners |
2002 | Barry Zito | Oakland Athletics |
2004, 2006 | Johan Santana | Minnesota Twins |
Showing 1 to 10 of 15 entries
Which division has won the most AL Cy Youngs?
| Year(s) | Pitcher | Team |
|---|
1969 | Mike Cuellar | Baltimore Orioles |
1971 | Vida Blue | Oakland Athletics |
1977 | Sparky Lyle | New York Yankees |
1978 | Ron Guidry | New York Yankees |
1979 | Mike Flanagan | Mike Flanagan |
1984 | Willie Hernandez | Detroit Tigers |
1988 | Frank Viola | Minnesota Twins |
1995 | Randy Johnson | Seattle Mariners |
2002 | Barry Zito | Oakland Athletics |
2004, 2006 | Johan Santana | Minnesota Twins |
Showing 1 to 10 of 15 entries
What's the average number of wins among AL Cy Young winners?
Since 1967 AL Cy Young winners have averaged 21 wins. However, it is possible to win the award with considerably fewer victories. Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez set the low-water mark for wins in 2010, when he finished with a 13-12 record. His pedestrian total was offset by the fact that he led the league in innings pitched and ERA and was second in strikeouts.Does team success matter?
Hernandez is living proof that even a lousy team can produce a Cy Young winner, but he’s the exception rather than the rule. Five of the past 10 Cy Young winners have played on teams that finished first or second in their division. If you eliminate the 61-101 Mariners from the equation, the last eight teams to produce a Cy Young winner have averaged 91 regular-season victories.What's the average age of an AL Cy Young winner?
| Year(s) | Pitcher | Team |
|---|
1969 | Mike Cuellar | Baltimore Orioles |
1971 | Vida Blue | Oakland Athletics |
1977 | Sparky Lyle | New York Yankees |
1978 | Ron Guidry | New York Yankees |
1979 | Mike Flanagan | Mike Flanagan |
1984 | Willie Hernandez | Detroit Tigers |
1988 | Frank Viola | Minnesota Twins |
1995 | Randy Johnson | Seattle Mariners |
2002 | Barry Zito | Oakland Athletics |
2004, 2006 | Johan Santana | Minnesota Twins |
Showing 1 to 10 of 15 entries
Nolan Ryan threw 7 no hitters but never won a Cy Young award. Roger Clemens won 7 Cy Young awards but never threw a no hitter.
— Wookin’ Pa Nub (@jjrayn) May 18, 2019
It should be noted, however, that Clemens was allegedly using anabolic steroids at the time. It's unlikely we'll see another over-the-hill winner anytime soon, given MLB's aggressive crackdown on performance-enhancing drugs.
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