BROTHERS IN ARMS
Jim Perry has one of the less compelling cases for Cy winners. His six first-place votes in 1970 are the lowest total for a winner since the ranked-choice voting system began in 1970. But he edged Dave McNally, Sam McDowell and Mike Cuellar as only 11 points separated the top four. When his brother Gaylord followed two seasons later and again in 1978, the Perrys became the only brothers ever to win the Cy Young Award.
The Perrys are not the only brothers to receive votes for the award. Before Pedro Martinez became one of the best pitchers of his era, his older brother Ramon had strong seasons for the Dodgers. Ramon placed second in 1990 and fifth in 1995. Pedro had been in the Dodgers system with Ramon but Tommy Lasorda thought he was too small, that his body wouldn’t handle the grueling season of 30+ starts. After Pedro went 10-5 and averaged 10 strikeouts per nine innings in 1993 as a 21-year-old, Los Angeles dealt him to Montreal. Who knows, Pedro might have won more than three Cys with a pitcher-friendly home like Dodger Stadium.
The only other brothers to receive Cy Young Award votes were Phil and Joe Niekro, knuckleballers. Phil earned Cy Young votes in five seasons and has a good case that he should have won in 1974. Joe received votes twice. In 1979, Joe finished second and Phil was sixth in N.L. voting.
KNUCKLEBALLERS
In 2012, R.A. Dickey became the first knuckleball pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. He was excellent for the New York Mets. He went 20-6 and led the National League in innings (233.2), shutouts (3) and strikeouts (230).
Revisionist history might have made another knuckleballer the first to win the award. Examining WAR (wins above replacement) Chicago White Sox knuckler Wilbur Wood has the two highest season totals for a non-winner. In 1971, Wood had an 11.7 WAR. He went 22-13 with a 1.81 ERA. He received one first-place vote but finished in third place behind Vida Blue and Mickey Lolich. In 1972, Wood had a WAR of 10.7 when he went 24-17 with a 2.51 ERA. This time, he received seven first-place votes but finished second in a close vote to Gaylord Perry
Another knuckler, Phil Niekro, is one of only five pitchers in history to post a season WAR in double figures and not win the Cy Young Award. Niekro’s WAR in 1978 was 10.0. He pitched 334 innings and posted a 2.88 ERA but had a record of 19-18. He received no first-place votes and was sixth in voting.
Others with WAR over 10 but no Cy trophy:
Tom Seaver – 10.2 in 1972 (20-10, 1.76 ERA), 6 first-place votes, finished, second overall
Roger Clemens – 10.4 in 1990 (21-6, 1.93 ERA), 8 first-place votes, finished second overall
Aaron Nola – 10.5 in 2018 (17-6, 2.37 ERA), 0 first-place votes, finished third overall
Sticking with WAR-related notes for a moment; here are the pitchers with the lowest career WAR totals who in one season finished in the top five of Cy Young Award voting:
Relievers
Marvin Freeman 6.0 (4th place in 1994 N.L.)
Chad Cordero 7.3 (5th place in 2005 N.L.)
Fernando Rodney 7.5 (5th place in 2012 A.L.)
Bobby Thigpen 7.8 (4th place in 1990 A.L.)
Starter
Danny Jackson 17.2 (2nd place in 1988 N.L., 6th place in 1994 N.L.)
How about the opposite? Who had the highest career WAR among pitchers who never placed in the top five of Cy Young Award voting (1970-current)? Chuck Finley was a 6-foot-6 left-hander, mostly with the Angels. He won 200 games and had a career WAR of 57.9. The only season he received Cy Young Award votes was 1990 when he placed seventh.
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