Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander won the popular vote. He lost the Cy Young.
Rick Porcello, the Boston Red Sox ace, won a tight race against Verlander for the American League Cy Young award, 137 points to 132, Wednesday after two writers from the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Tampa Bay chapter left Verlander off their ballots entirely.
The five-point differential is the second-closest Cy Young vote since 1970. Porcello, who went 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA, is the first American League pitcher to win the award without receiving the most first-place votes. Verlander collected 14 first-place votes to Porcello’s eight.
This is Verlander’s second Cy Young runner-up — he has lost twice by a total of nine points.
“I didn’t look at the statistics. I didn’t break it down into sabermetrics. I knew the basic lines we all had,” Porcello said. “To win the award over a former teammate, somebody who was a veteran I looked up to in the early days in my career, that’s pretty cool.
“It was a very, very nice night. Something I’ll never forget.”
Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer, who started alongside Verlander and Porcello in Detroit from 2010-14, captured the National League Cy Young award by taking 25 of 30 first-place votes. He is the sixth pitcher to win a Cy Young in both leagues, joining Gaylord Perry, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and Roy Halladay.
Scherzer, who two winters ago signed a seven-year contract worth $210 million, is the first Cy Young award winner in Nationals history. (Martinez won one for the Montreal Expos in 1997.)
Despite tying for the National League lead in home runs allowed (31), Scherzer was a force. He was 20-7 with a 2.96 ERA and lead the majors with 284 strikeouts and a .968 WHIP in 228⅓ innings pitched.
“For some reason, this [second Cy Young award] just means so much more to me,” said Scherzer, who phoned into a teleconference from a boat cruise with his college buddies in the British Virgin Islands. “It just verifies everything I go out there and try to achieve.”
The Cubs’ Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks finished second and third, and Jake Arrieta received a single fourth-place vote to check in ninth out of 10 pitchers receiving votes. San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner was fourth, and Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw was fifth — he received two first-place votes despite spending two months on the disabled list.
Over in the American League, numbers mostly backed Verlander’s case for Cy Young. Winner of the league’s Cy Young and MVP awards in 2011, Verlander returned to form this season and had a 16-9 record and 3.04 ERA while leading the league with 254 strikeouts and a 1.001 WHIP.
Porcello led the majors with 22 wins, and that mattered far more to some voters than others. The past four winners in the American League have led the league in wins, but not strikeouts or ERA.
“He loves the game the way I love the game,” Porcello said of Verlander. “He looks at numbers. I just kind of love being there at the ballpark. … He had a hell of a year, obviously. You get into those top three guys and it’s like everyone is deserving of the award at that point.”
Cleveland Indians right-hander Corey Kluber was third in the American League Cy Young voting, followed by Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton and Chicago White Sox left-hander Chris Sale.
Toronto Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ finished sixth. After two brilliant months with the Pirates in 2016, he signed a three-year contract with the Blue Jays last November and went 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA this season.
Looking at lefty
The Pirates are among several teams that have spoken recently with free agent left-hander Derek Holland. His agent had indicated to the Tribune-Review last weekend that Holland, an eight-year major league veteran, was interested in the Pirates as a potential suitor. Holland, 30, had a 4.95 ERA in 22 appearances, 20 starts, last season for the Texas Rangers.
Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.
First Published: November 17, 2016, 1:18 a.m.
