The Cy Young Award

By Dee Dee Smith

Denton True "Cy" Young was an extremely talented pitcher in the Major Leagues in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  He is still today considered the best pitcher in baseball history having won a total of 511 games.  As a result of his many achievements, Young was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939, making a Cy Young framed photo a great piece of baeball memorabilia.  In memory of Young’s great career, an award named in his honor is given annually to the best pitcher from each of the two divisions (the National League and the American League) of Major League Baseball.

The concept of the Cy Young Award was that of Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick.  To avoid controversy concerning the decision making process, Frick and others chose to have a group of journalists, members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BWAA), select the winners.  Annually, two BWAA representatives from each major city are allowed to vote on a first, second and third place winner from both the National and American Leagues.  Votes are tallied and a standard formula applied to determine the final winners of the Cy Young Award. 

The Cy Young Award has been a part of Major League Baseball since 1956.  Over the years, many records have been set as it pertains to this award.  In 2004 Roger Clemens (a.k.a. “The Rocket) won his seventh Cy Young Award.  This achievement broke the previous record of five set by Randy Johnson in 2002  Clemens, age 42, was also the oldest player to receive the award.  Both a Roger Clemens baseball and a Randy Johnson baseball increased in value after the respective players picked up a Cy Young.  A couple of left-handed or “leftie” pitchers, namely Warren Spahn (1957) and Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia (2007), have won the coveted award.  A C.C. Sabathia jersey makes a great gift. Over the years a few relief pitchers have also received the designation; the first was Mike Marshall (1974), followed by Sparky Lyle (1977) and more recently Eric Gagne (2003). 

This award is not only desired by pitchers, but baseball franchises also covet this prize.  In addition to talent recognition, having a Cy Young Award pitcher on your team can help in recruiting other players, as well as building and increasing your fan base.  Several teams have received multiple Cy Young Awards; the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise have won nine, the Atlanta Braves seven, and the Arizona Diamondbacks (a very young franchise) five. 

As with many other sports awards, the Cy Young has not been without controversy.  Many argue as to what is the measuring stick for determining the “best” pitcher in each league.  Some argue that the best pitcher should be determined by the number of wins, while others argue that the decision should be based upon overall player statistics.  Because voting is totally subjective, some have accused the writers of player biases.  These individuals argue that likeability, sportsmanship and even the pitcher’s team have been unfair factors used in choosing winners.  Additionally, accusations of steroid use by Roger Clemens will more than likely result in even more controversy.

Over fifty years have passed, and ninety plus Cy Young Awards given to the best pitchers in the Major Leagues.  This award has been and more than likely will continue to be one of the most distinguished designations given in professional baseball.