Carpenter nabs Cy Young honors
11/10/2005
ST. LOUIS -- When it mattered most, Chris Carpenter was at his best.
Carpenter, who was unbeatable from early June until well into September, was named the National League's Cy Young Award winner on Thursday, giving the Cardinals their first Cy Young winner since 1970. The New Hampshire native edged out Florida's Dontrelle Willis in the closest vote since 1998.
Carpenter received 132 points in the 5-3-1 voting system used by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Out of 32 ballots, the right-hander received 19 first-place votes and 12 second-place mentions, with just one voter placing him third.
He is the second pitcher in Cardinals history to win the Cy Young, joining Bob Gibson, who won the award in 1968 and 1970. It was the third award for Carpenter this fall, following recognition as NL pitcher of the year by The Sporting News and in the Players' Choice Awards.
"That is an amazing thing," Carpenter said of being in a class with Gibson. "I was just telling my wife after I found out that I won, you think about the Cardinals organization and the history of this organization, how many people, how may pitchers came through this organization, how many great pitchers came through this organization, how many great seasons all those guys had, and to be the only one besides Mr. Gibson to win the Cy Young is crazy. This organization has been around for a long time with a lot of great history, a lot of great pitchers, and to be in that company is just crazy."
Willis, the league leader in wins, finished second and was the only other pitcher named on every ballot. The Marlins lefty received 112 points on 11 first-place votes, 18 second-place and three third-place tallies. Roger Clemens, who paced the league in ERA, was a distant third with 40 points (two first-place, two second-place, 24 third-place).
No other pitcher received any higher than a third-place vote. Roy Oswalt of Houston was third on two ballots, and the Nationals' Chad Cordero and the Astros' Andy Pettitte received one mention each.
"I voted for Dontrelle in both the other two awards, the Players Choice and for The Sporting News," said Carpenter. "The things that I look at are guys that as a competitor, I know that they're doing the same things that I do. And I know that Dontrelle does that, and I know that Roger does that. I know that they go out and they work their [rear end] off four days in between starts to get ready for the fifth day. I know they're going to do everything they can to win that game. I enjoy competing against guys like that.
"There's no question about it, the guys that they considered for this award all deserved it. I was the fortunate one to get the votes from the media, and I appreciate that."
Two years ago, Carpenter was sidelined with shoulder trouble, and at times considered walking away from the game. Last season he roared back with an outstanding season, winning Comeback Player of the Year honors, and in '05 he took yet another dramatic step forward.
Carpenter finished the season with a 21-5 record, 2.83 ERA and 213 strikeouts against 51 walks over 241 2/3 innings pitched. He racked up seven complete games and four shutouts and ranked in the top 10 in the league in at least 12 different pitching categories. A late skid put him behind Willis in both wins and ERA, but apparently voters forgave the post-clinch slide and looked at the summer sizzle instead.
Following a loss to Boston on June 8, Carpenter went on one of the most amazing runs baseball has seen in quite a long time. In each of his next 16 starts, Carpenter lasted at least seven innings and allowed no more than three earned runs, and the Cardinals won all 16 games. He totaled 17 straight starts without the Cardinals losing, and 18 in a row without being charged with a defeat himself.
His numbers tailed off a bit over his final starts, as Carpenter lost a bit of focus after the Cardinals secured their second straight National League Central championship. Willis passed Carpenter in wins and ERA, inserting himself back into the discussion after a July slump. Clemens, meanwhile, was utterly dominant in what he could control, posting a ridiculous 1.87 ERA at tricky Minute Maid Park. However, he fell 30 innings short of the other two candidates. Probably more important to voters, a serious dearth of run support limited the future Hall of Famer to 13 wins.
Carpenter deflected much of the credit for his honor in many directions, to the Cardinals medical and training staff as well as the coaching staff. One name that stood out was Dave Duncan. The Cardinals pitching coach has now been associated with seven Cy Young winners, four as a pitching coach and three as a catcher.
"When I first came here in 2003, not being able to pitch, I just sat around and listened and watched," Carpenter said. "All of a sudden 2004 comes, and we start talking about little things that can make me better. It really just made me realize what I needed to do to make myself better.
"[Duncan] called me today to congratulate him, and I told him, I think that a lot of his help made me get to where I'm at today, and next thing you know, he was ready to get off the phone. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. He's done a lot for me, and he's definitely helped me get to where I'm at, just understanding a little bit more and understanding what I need to do to do what I'm doing. If it wasn't for him, there's a lot of people, but part of him, he deserves this too."
The award capped off an incredible year for Carpenter, who missed the entire 2003 season with shoulder injuries. He was the Cardinals' Opening Day starter, and he got the call to start the All-Star Game for the National League as well. He pitched Game 1 of both postseason series after missing last year's playoffs due to a nerve injury in his right arm.
The Cardinals have a chance to sweep the two biggest BBWAA awards. Albert Pujols is a favorite for the league's MVP, which will be announced on Tuesday. If he picks up that award, the Cardinals will be the first team to sweep the NL Cy Young and MVP since the Braves in 1991, with Tom Glavine and Terry Pendleton.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
ST. LOUIS -- When it mattered most, Chris Carpenter was at his best.
Carpenter, who was unbeatable from early June until well into September, was named the National League's Cy Young Award winner on Thursday, giving the Cardinals their first Cy Young winner since 1970. The New Hampshire native edged out Florida's Dontrelle Willis in the closest vote since 1998.
Carpenter received 132 points in the 5-3-1 voting system used by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Out of 32 ballots, the right-hander received 19 first-place votes and 12 second-place mentions, with just one voter placing him third.
He is the second pitcher in Cardinals history to win the Cy Young, joining Bob Gibson, who won the award in 1968 and 1970. It was the third award for Carpenter this fall, following recognition as NL pitcher of the year by The Sporting News and in the Players' Choice Awards.
"That is an amazing thing," Carpenter said of being in a class with Gibson. "I was just telling my wife after I found out that I won, you think about the Cardinals organization and the history of this organization, how many people, how may pitchers came through this organization, how many great pitchers came through this organization, how many great seasons all those guys had, and to be the only one besides Mr. Gibson to win the Cy Young is crazy. This organization has been around for a long time with a lot of great history, a lot of great pitchers, and to be in that company is just crazy."
Willis, the league leader in wins, finished second and was the only other pitcher named on every ballot. The Marlins lefty received 112 points on 11 first-place votes, 18 second-place and three third-place tallies. Roger Clemens, who paced the league in ERA, was a distant third with 40 points (two first-place, two second-place, 24 third-place).
No other pitcher received any higher than a third-place vote. Roy Oswalt of Houston was third on two ballots, and the Nationals' Chad Cordero and the Astros' Andy Pettitte received one mention each.
"I voted for Dontrelle in both the other two awards, the Players Choice and for The Sporting News," said Carpenter. "The things that I look at are guys that as a competitor, I know that they're doing the same things that I do. And I know that Dontrelle does that, and I know that Roger does that. I know that they go out and they work their [rear end] off four days in between starts to get ready for the fifth day. I know they're going to do everything they can to win that game. I enjoy competing against guys like that.
"There's no question about it, the guys that they considered for this award all deserved it. I was the fortunate one to get the votes from the media, and I appreciate that."
Two years ago, Carpenter was sidelined with shoulder trouble, and at times considered walking away from the game. Last season he roared back with an outstanding season, winning Comeback Player of the Year honors, and in '05 he took yet another dramatic step forward.
Carpenter finished the season with a 21-5 record, 2.83 ERA and 213 strikeouts against 51 walks over 241 2/3 innings pitched. He racked up seven complete games and four shutouts and ranked in the top 10 in the league in at least 12 different pitching categories. A late skid put him behind Willis in both wins and ERA, but apparently voters forgave the post-clinch slide and looked at the summer sizzle instead.
Following a loss to Boston on June 8, Carpenter went on one of the most amazing runs baseball has seen in quite a long time. In each of his next 16 starts, Carpenter lasted at least seven innings and allowed no more than three earned runs, and the Cardinals won all 16 games. He totaled 17 straight starts without the Cardinals losing, and 18 in a row without being charged with a defeat himself.
His numbers tailed off a bit over his final starts, as Carpenter lost a bit of focus after the Cardinals secured their second straight National League Central championship. Willis passed Carpenter in wins and ERA, inserting himself back into the discussion after a July slump. Clemens, meanwhile, was utterly dominant in what he could control, posting a ridiculous 1.87 ERA at tricky Minute Maid Park. However, he fell 30 innings short of the other two candidates. Probably more important to voters, a serious dearth of run support limited the future Hall of Famer to 13 wins.
Carpenter deflected much of the credit for his honor in many directions, to the Cardinals medical and training staff as well as the coaching staff. One name that stood out was Dave Duncan. The Cardinals pitching coach has now been associated with seven Cy Young winners, four as a pitching coach and three as a catcher.
"When I first came here in 2003, not being able to pitch, I just sat around and listened and watched," Carpenter said. "All of a sudden 2004 comes, and we start talking about little things that can make me better. It really just made me realize what I needed to do to make myself better.
"[Duncan] called me today to congratulate him, and I told him, I think that a lot of his help made me get to where I'm at today, and next thing you know, he was ready to get off the phone. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. He's done a lot for me, and he's definitely helped me get to where I'm at, just understanding a little bit more and understanding what I need to do to do what I'm doing. If it wasn't for him, there's a lot of people, but part of him, he deserves this too."
The award capped off an incredible year for Carpenter, who missed the entire 2003 season with shoulder injuries. He was the Cardinals' Opening Day starter, and he got the call to start the All-Star Game for the National League as well. He pitched Game 1 of both postseason series after missing last year's playoffs due to a nerve injury in his right arm.
The Cardinals have a chance to sweep the two biggest BBWAA awards. Albert Pujols is a favorite for the league's MVP, which will be announced on Tuesday. If he picks up that award, the Cardinals will be the first team to sweep the NL Cy Young and MVP since the Braves in 1991, with Tom Glavine and Terry Pendleton.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
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