American League Cy Young Award trends

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

The only relievers to win the honor are Sparky Lyle (1977), Rollie Fingers (1981), Willie Hernandez (1984) and Dennis Eckersley (1992). All four members of that exclusive club were closers and two of them were left-handers. Speaking of southpaws...

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

Which team has won the most AL Cy Young Awards?

It seems only fitting that the Red Sox, Cy Young's former team, have produced the most AL Cy Young winners. Jim Lonborg got the party started in 1967 and Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez gave Boston fans plenty to boast about during the 80's and 90's by winning multiple awards each.

Which division has won the most AL Cy Youngs?

That honor belongs to the American League Central. Pitchers from AL Central teams won three-straight Cy Youngs from 1988-1990 and again from 2007-09.

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.

Reminder that Felix Hernandez has won one of the 126 Cy Young Awards ever given out, has thrown one of only 27 perfect games, and also hit a moonshot grand slam off prime Johan Santana.
— Basebalake (@bahlahkaay) September 3, 2019

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?

Over the last 10 years, the average age of the AL Cy Young winner was 27, which makes sense, because the prime for most players is between 26 and 29. The oldest player to win the award was Roger Clemens, who was 42-years-old when he was named the American League's top pitcher in 2001.

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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