Felix Hernandez is your 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner…if only it were that easy.
In reality, it should be that easy.
After going eight innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five, Hernandez got the all-important erroneous stat.
The stat that for some reason voters and baseball fans feel is nerdy to overlook.
Hernandez got the win and is now 13-12. Happy?
Oh, he also has the best ERA (2.27), most quality starts (30), most innings pitched (249.2), most strikeouts (232), and lowest batting average against (.212) in the American League. He is second in WHIP (1.06) to Cliff Lee, not CC Sabathia or David Price.
Sabathia and Price were also in action Tuesday.
Sabathia went 8.1 innings, giving up one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight.
He too picked up another win, pushing his record to 21-7. Wins is the only category Sabathia leads the AL in.
Sabathia now has a 3.18 ERA with 26 quality starts, 237.2 innings pitched, 197 strikeouts, a 1.19 WHIP, and a .239 batting average against.
Impressive numbers, but they do not match Hernandez.
Price went eight shutout innings, giving up six hits, zero walks, and striking out eight, and picked up a win to move to 19-6. Price does not lead the AL in any pitching category.
He has a 2.73 ERA, 25 quality starts, 207.2 innings pitched, 187 strikeouts, a 1.20 WHIP, and a .222 batting average against.
Also impressive, but they do not match Hernandez.
Baseball is a bunch of individuals playing a team sport. All you can control in the field, at the plate, or on the mound is what you do.
Luck occurs here and there, but after so many games and so many innings, luck tends to run out and at the very least things even out.
If your lineup is weak around you, then you will not score runs or have a high number of RBI, so we look at your on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS to see your value.
If your team does not score for you or play defense behind you while you’re on the mound, then we look at strikeouts to see how often you take your defense out of the equation and ERA and WHIP to see how often you put your weak offensive team in position to win.
One stat that is based on the sum of a team’s parts is wins, and that stat generally earns a World Series championship, but basing an individual award on it is completely and ridiculously unfair.
A Cy Young Award is not a Most Valuable Player Award where we can argue the definition of “value.” The Cy Young Award is simply for the best pitcher.
Voters got it correct last year, giving the Cy Young to Zack Greinke with an all-time AL Cy Young-low 16 wins, and in the National League Tim Lincecum won it with a 15-7 record.
Hernandez’s offense has supplied him with zero runs while he was on the mound in seven of his last 14 starts, and he has pitched into the seventh inning in a team-record 25 consecutive starts.
I think he has done all he can to win for the Seattle Mariners.
Anyone with eyes can see Hernandez has the best pitching numbers. Sabathia and Price have the better team stat, so they were awarded with the playoffs.
The Cy Young, however, should clearly be awarded to Hernandez.
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