Originally posted by Beth E:
Isn't the Cy Young just for who is the best "pitcher"
The award does not always go to the "Best Pitcher".
It almost always goes to the pitcher who has the "Best Year".
There have been some un-deserving Cy Young winners over the years.
Baltimore pitcher Steve Stone won it in 1980, when he went 25-7 with a 3.23 E.R.A. for a team that won 100 games.
Meanwhile, Oakland pitcher Mike Norris went 22-9 with a 2.54 for a team that won 83 games.
The Cy Young voters are almost always unduly influenced by gaudy W-L records. Studies have shown that all things being equal, the biggest single factor that goes into a pitcher's W-L record is offensive support.
Also, as Bill James has pointed out, a lot of what we perceive as good pitching is actually defense. The only things that a pitcher is in complete control of are strikeouts, walks allowed, home runs allowed, and hit batsmen.
Not sure what that has to do with the topic, though.....
Originally posted by Freddie C.:
Clemens deserves it. He was the best pitcher in the NL this past season.
That's arguable.
If I had to pick one NL pitcher from last season to win me one game that I had to have, I would pick Johnson over Clemens easily.
