Pitchers Of Note

An associate faculty at Mission College in Santa Clara, California, Robert Fettgather Ph.D. teaches general psychology, abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, and psychiatric interviewing. Dr. Robert Fettgather has co-authored several papers on social issues, such as “Elder abuse as an emerging public health concern: identifying deficiencies in law enforcement policy.” In his spare time, Robert Fettgather enjoys the sport of baseball.

As we enter the baseball play-offs, it is worth pausing on the value of a good and even great pitcher.

The history of Major League Baseball (MLB) dates back to the founding of the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs in 1876. For nearly 150 years, the league has developed several individual and team awards to recognize outstanding achievements. The Cy Young Award, for example, is used to honor the league’s most accomplished pitchers every season. The Cy Young Award is named after Cy Young, the greatest pitcher in MLB history. Young began his professional career in 1890 with the Cleveland Spiders of the National League. Between 1901 and 1908, he pitched in the American League, helping the Boston Red Sox win the 1903 World Series. During his first year in Boston, he led the league with 158 strikeouts, 33 wins, and an earned run average (ERA) of 1.62, a feat known as the pitching triple crown. Young won two games during the 1903 World Series and recorded three no-hitters. His all-time league records range from most innings pitched, at 7,356, and most games started, at 815. He pitched nearly 80 shutouts during his career. The Cy Young Award was established in 1956, and for over a decade, the honor was awarded to a single pitcher. Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers was MLB’s first Cy Young winner, going 27-7 during the 1956 season with an ERA of 3.06. In 1966, Sandy Koufax became the first pitcher to win more than one Cy Young Award and consecutive awards.

Gaylord Perry and Roger Clemens remain the only pitchers to win the Cy Young Award at age 40 or older. Starting pitchers are typically the beneficiaries of Cy Young honors. The organizers consider their total wins and strikeouts to choose the recipient. That said, several relief pitchers have also won the award. Most recently, Eric Gagne was named the National League Cy Young Award winner in 2003, winning two games and recording 55 saves. Dennis Eckersley had 51 saves in 1992, and Mark Davis recorded 44 saves in 1989