The votes are in. The Cy Young awards have been announced. While few contest the NL winner, the AL results are more controversial, writes Keely Flanagan in the Los Angeles Times.
Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers seemed poised to win his second consecutive Cy Young, but the coveted honor was instead awarded to David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays (pictured here).
"Outrageous! We should storm Bud Selig's office! Demand a recount! Surely there's been some mistake. Verlander, compared by many to the great Sandy Koufax, has to win. He just has to.
"He's Justin-freaking-Verlander!
"Hold on, voters. Take away the media hype and accolades of greatness, and let the numbers inform the winner."
A statistical comparison:
Price: 20-5 record, 2.56 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, .266 BAA, 209 Ks
Verlander: 17-8 record, 2.64 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .217 BAA, 239 Ks
"Okay, these two guys are pretty evenly matched, at least numbers-wise.
"But numbers don't tell the whole story. The reason Price's stats are more impressive than Verlander's is simple: Price pitched in the AL East, whereas Verlander pitched in the weaker AL Central."
