To the surprise of no one, Clayton Kershaw has been awarded his third career Cy Young award this afternoon. Via the BBWAA release:
Clayton Kershaw was the 14th pitcher to win by a unanimous vote in the NL. The others: Sandy Koufax three times, Greg Maddux twice and once apiece by Randy Johnson, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Rick Sutcliffe, Dwight Gooden, Orel Hershiser, Jake Peavy and Roy Halladay. There has been a unanimous winner in the American League nine times: Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana twice each; Denny McLain, Ron Guidry and Justin Verlander once apiece.Congrats, Clayton!
Kershaw was the fifth NL pitcher to win the award in consecutive seasons. Maddux and Johnson each won four years in a row. The other back-to-back winners were Koufax and Tim Lincecum. Successive victories have occurred five times in the AL: twice by Clemens and once each by McLain, Martinez and Jim Palmer.
Kershaw’s third Cy Young Award tied the Dodgers’ franchise record of Koufax and marked the ninth time a pitcher has won the award at least that often. Clemens holds the record with seven (six in the AL and one in the NL). Johnson won five times (four in the NL and once in the AL) and Maddux and Carlton four times each (all in the NL). Other three-time winners in addition to Koufax were Martinez (two in the AL and one in the NL), Palmer (all in the AL) and Tom Seaver (all in the NL).
This election marked the 12th time a Dodgers pitcher won the award. In addition to Kershaw and Koufax, Dodgers winners were Don Newcombe, Don Drysdale, Mike Marshall, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser and Eric Gagne. No other club has won the award more than seven times.
Kershaw, Cueto and Wainwright were the only pitchers named to every ballot.
And now we wait for tomorrow announcement regarding the leagues MVP.
Below is the total vote tally:
Graphic at the very top via @Dodgers on twitter.
UPDATE: Via a Dodger press release:
“It is humbling to receive the honor of the National League Cy Young Award again this year,” said Kershaw. “Thank you to the Baseball Writers' Association of America for this acknowledgement of the past season. The significance of this award is not lost on me. I consider it a privilege to even be considered in the same category as Johnny Cueto and Adam Wainwright, two remarkable pitchers and relentless competitors. It seems fitting to share this recognition with my teammates and coaches – I couldn't do my job without their own dedication to excellence in their roles. Today is a special day. To be associated with the men who have won this award before me is something I will not take for granted. But even more, it serves as a reminder that I'm blessed to play the game I love for an organization I greatly admire.”
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“We’re so proud of Clayton as he adds to his historic record of accomplishments and look forward to him continuing it for many years to come,” said Dodger President and CEO Stan Kasten.
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“Clayton Kershaw was the best pitcher in baseball and was most deserving of this honor,” said Dodger Manager Don Mattingly. “He sets a great example for our team with his leadership in the clubhouse, his endless work ethic and his ultra-competitive spirit. On top of being a great athlete, he’s an even greater person in what he does in the community and on behalf of his foundation. There are no negatives to Clayton Kershaw, he’s something special on and off the field.”
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