Bob Gibson’s 1968 season gets most of the recognition for defining the “year of the pitcher.” But Denny McLain’s 1968 in the American League generated a feat that hasn’t been equaled. McLain is the only pitcher to be a unanimous selection for both the Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player.
McLain won 31 games in 1968, the last pitcher to reach 30.
He is one of 17 pitchers to take the Cy Young Award unanimously. Six of those pitchers have two unanimous Cy seasons.
- Sandy Koufax (1963*, 1965, 1966)
- Bob Gibson (1968*)
- Denny McLain (1968*)
- Steve Carlton (1972)
- Ron Guidry (1978)
- Rick Sutcliffe (1984)
- Dwight Gooden (1985)
- Roger Clemens (1986*, 1998)
- Orel Hershiser (1988)
- Greg Maddux (1994, 1995)
- Pedro Martínez (1999, 2000)
- Randy Johnson (2002)
- Johan Santana (2004, 2006)
- Jake Peavy (2007)
- Roy Halladay (2010)
- Justin Verlander (2011*)
- Clayton Kershaw (2014*)
*Also won Most Valuable Player.
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