San Francisco Giants: Two Pitchers Receive Cy Young Votes
The National League Cy Young award was handed out on Wednesday, and while no San Francisco Giants’ pitcher won, two pitchers did receive votes.
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Washington Nationals’ hurler Max Scherzer ran away with the National League Cy Young award, being the only pitcher listed on each of the 30 voter ballots and finishing 90 points ahead of his nearest competition. A pair of Chicago Cubs’ pitchers finished second and third, as Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks followed Scherzer. Behind that group of three, a pair of San Francisco Giants’ pitchers received Cy Young votes.
The Giants were represented by left-hander Madison Bumgarner, who finished fourth, and right-hander Johnny Cueto, who finished sixth. Sandwiched between the two was Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw, who finished outside the top three in voting for the first time since 2010.
Bumgarner was listed on 21 ballots, including receiving a pair of second-place votes, while his teammate Cueto found his name on 10 ballots. Cueto was listed as high as third three times.
For Bumgarner, this is his fourth straight years receiving Cy Young votes, and fifth overall. This year’s fourth-place finish matches his highest spot. He was also fourth in 2014.
This year, Bumgarner set career-highs in inning pitched with 226.2 and strikeouts with 251. His strikeout total set the Giants’ franchise record for most in a single season by a left-handed pitcher. His 2.74 ERA was also the lowest of his career. He was the leader of a rotation that finished fourth in baseball in collective ERA (3.65) and was second in total innings pitched (their 1460.1 innings led the National League).
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His counterpart, Cueto, received votes for the third time in his career. He finished fourth in voting in 2012, and was runner-up to Kershaw in 2014. In his first season with the Giants, Cueto posted a 2.79 ERA and 1.093 WHIP, and led the National League with five complete games. His 1.8 walks allowed per nine innings was the lowest of his career, while his 198 strikeouts was the second-highest total of his career.
USA Today’s Jorge Ortiz, representing half of the San Francisco-area contingent, had Bumgarner listed second on his ballot, while Cueto was ranked fifth. CSN Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic, the other San Francisco representative, had Bumgarner listed third but did not rank Cueto. Bumgarner’s other second-place vote came from the Washington Times’ Todd Dybas (obviously representing half of the Washington, D.C. voters).
The last Giant to win the Cy Young award was Tim Lincecum. He won them in back-to-back years starting in 2008.
Next: Giants Leaving No Stone Unturned
On a bit of a somber note, late Miami Marlins’ pitcher Jose Fernandez finished seventh in voting. The pitcher that was tragically lost on September 25th this year finished third in Cy Young voting as a rookie in 2013.
To see full voting and complete ballots, check here.