By MIKE FITZPATRICK, AP Baseball Writer
November 10, 2005
NEW YORK (AP) -- Chris Carpenter was ready to call it quits.
Toiling in Double-A two years ago, trying to work his way back from shoulder surgery, he pitched a game in Tennessee just before the All-Star break and couldn't even play catch afterward because his right arm hurt so much.
Carpenter knew something was wrong again, even though the doctors didn't think so. He hadn't seen his infant son in about a month, and all he wanted to do was go home to New Hampshire with his wife, Alyson.
``I'll never forget the night we sat here until about 3 o'clock in the morning crying and talking about my career,'' Carpenter said. ``I was ready to be done. And she didn't think I was, that I would regret it if I didn't take that one more step and try to come back again. And the next thing you know, I got my second surgery and here we are today. And I know that if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here.''
All that hard work and patience was rewarded when Carpenter won the NL Cy Young Award on Thursday.
After going 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals, he received 19 of 32 first-place votes and finished with 132 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
He beat out Florida lefty Dontrelle Willis, becoming the first Cardinals pitcher to claim the honor since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson in 1970.
``I can't believe I won,'' Carpenter said. ``My son did a little dance for me and my wife gave me a big hug. We were really excited about it.''
Willis, who was 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA, was listed first on 11 ballots, second on 18 and third on three for 112 points. Seven-time winner Roger Clemens got the other two first-place votes and came in a distant third at age 43.
The Rocket led the majors with a 1.87 ERA, but a lack of run support from his NL champion Houston Astros limited Clemens to a 13-8 record, which surely cost him votes.
Willis was all class in shrugging off any disappointment.
``I can always tell my kids, even when they stop listening to their old dad, that I was in the running with Roger Clemens and Chris Carpenter to win a prestigious award,'' Willis said. ``It's not that bad to be the second-best pitcher in the league.''
Balloting for all BBWAA awards is conducted at the end of the regular season and excludes the playoffs, when Carpenter went 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in three starts. St. Louis was eliminated by the Astros in the NL championship series.
Carpenter began his career with Toronto on a late 1990s staff that eventually included three other Cy Young Award winners: Clemens, Roy Halladay and Pat Hentgen.
After compiling a 49-50 record in his first six seasons, Carpenter had surgery in September 2002 to repair a tear in his pitching shoulder, and the Blue Jays wanted to send him back to the minors. He refused the assignment and chose to become a free agent before signing with St. Louis.
Carpenter missed the 2003 season while rehabilitating his shoulder, and was forced to have another operation in July to remove scar tissue.
The Cardinals were determined to remain patient. Yet at that point, who knew if they would ever get much from him?
``I really felt that there was more in there,'' Carpenter said. ``When I came back last year, I knew I wasn't going to take anything for granted. ... Mentally, I grew up a lot.''
Finally healthy in 2004, Carpenter went 15-5 with a 3.46 ERA to earn NL comeback player of the year honors from his peers. But he missed the postseason because of a biceps injury, and St. Louis was swept in the World Series by Boston.
Carpenter won 13 straight decisions this year from June 14 through Sept. 8, helping the Cardinals to the best record in baseball (100-62). He threw 241 2-3 innings, struck out 213 batters and got the best of several other aces around the league.
Carpenter beat Clemens in both of their matchups. He also topped Roy Oswalt, Carlos Zambrano, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett and Willis.
``I was locked in mentally for a very long period of time,'' Carpenter said. ``Next thing you know, your teammates are behind you saying, `Wow! Look at this guy go.'''
He and Willis led the NL with seven complete games apiece. Willis had five shutouts to Carpenter's four.
Carpenter admitted losing focus a bit in September once St. Louis secured a postseason spot, and he struggled in his final three starts of the regular season. Some thought that might give Willis the opening he needed to win.
But those outings were really nothing more than playoff tuneups for Carpenter -- he had a 2.31 ERA when the Cardinals clinched the NL Central.
``It's a great feeling,'' Carpenter said during a conference call from his New Hampshire home. ``There's not a lot of people that come from this area, never mind play in the big leagues.''
Bartolo Colon of the Los Angeles Angels won the AL Cy Young Award on Tuesday. The next award to be handed out is the AL MVP on Monday.
Gibson is the only other St. Louis winner, taking the honor in 1968 and '70.
Carpenter gets a $50,000 bonus for winning the award, and Clemens gets $25,000 for finishing third.
AP Sports Writers R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis, Steven Wine in Miami and Ronald Blum in Indian Wells, Calif., contributed to this story.
Carpenter Wins National League Cy Young Award!
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I'm a cardinals fan, and obviously biased, but carpenter was the most dominant when it was necessary. Carpenters ERA went up by half a point at the end of the season when he had nothing to play for and was just going out there to eat innings, throwing 90% fastballs over the plate. The change between games that counted and games that didn't was blatantly obvious - Prior to Sept. 18th (about the time the cardinals clenched) Carpenter had a 2.31 era. It rised to 2.83 over the course of three throw away games. In the playoffs it went back down to 2.14.
He had more innings pitched, and strike outs, while allowing less walks than Clemens or Willis.
It was a great choice, now they just need to give Pujols his MVP, and all will be right with the world.
He had more innings pitched, and strike outs, while allowing less walks than Clemens or Willis.
It was a great choice, now they just need to give Pujols his MVP, and all will be right with the world.
Carpenter had a tremendous season, but Clemens reached the land of sub 2 ERA which doesn't happen often.
Most writers base their votes on Wins, which is just absolute dogshit. (Keep in mind Clemens won last year vs Randy in the same fashion Carpenter beat Clemens this year, so it must be karma.)
The point of a pitcher is to give up as few runs as possible, that's all. That's his only function. Clemens had about a full run difference in ERA over Carpenter. If you put Clemens in St. Louis this year how many wins does he get? 28? Maybe even 30.
I just don't understand how the only pitching statistic that is completely removed from actual pitching performance is the barometer for awards.
Most writers base their votes on Wins, which is just absolute dogshit. (Keep in mind Clemens won last year vs Randy in the same fashion Carpenter beat Clemens this year, so it must be karma.)
The point of a pitcher is to give up as few runs as possible, that's all. That's his only function. Clemens had about a full run difference in ERA over Carpenter. If you put Clemens in St. Louis this year how many wins does he get? 28? Maybe even 30.
I just don't understand how the only pitching statistic that is completely removed from actual pitching performance is the barometer for awards.
While a pitchers win/loss record is based on the performace of the entire team, you could also make a similar argument for ERA. A pitchers ERA can be very much dependant on the team behind (and infront) of him. A team with an amazing defence can dramatically lower the ERA of a bad pitcher where a horrible defence can dramatically increase the ERA of a great pitcher.
Think about the increadable plays that stop runs for scoring? Or how about the obvious errors being scroed hits resulting in runs. Think about this situation, 2 outs bases loaded. Guys hits a great shot in the corner of the outfild where no fielder should ever be able to get it, Some how the fielder gets there and makes an unimaginable catch. Inning over 0ER's. Same situation except the hitter hits a lazy fly ball to centerfield right to the centerfielder. The idiot from right filed runs into him and the ball falls. Somehow the batter gets in inside the park HR and its ruled a hit (yes it happens). 4ER's. If both pitchers pitched perfect games before and after that inning. At the end you have 1 pitcher with a 4.0ERA for the game and 1 with a 0ERA for the game. Each pitched amazing games and the one with the 4.0ERA would arguably have pitched a beter game then the guy with the 0 ERA.
IMO all 3 of the pitches named had great seasons, also I think clemens should have been far closer in teh running then he was. I dont really think there is a best pitcher in the NL, all 3 of them are good strong cadidates that each have their perticular strengths. May as well flip a coin for who actually gets the win.
Think about the increadable plays that stop runs for scoring? Or how about the obvious errors being scroed hits resulting in runs. Think about this situation, 2 outs bases loaded. Guys hits a great shot in the corner of the outfild where no fielder should ever be able to get it, Some how the fielder gets there and makes an unimaginable catch. Inning over 0ER's. Same situation except the hitter hits a lazy fly ball to centerfield right to the centerfielder. The idiot from right filed runs into him and the ball falls. Somehow the batter gets in inside the park HR and its ruled a hit (yes it happens). 4ER's. If both pitchers pitched perfect games before and after that inning. At the end you have 1 pitcher with a 4.0ERA for the game and 1 with a 0ERA for the game. Each pitched amazing games and the one with the 4.0ERA would arguably have pitched a beter game then the guy with the 0 ERA.
IMO all 3 of the pitches named had great seasons, also I think clemens should have been far closer in teh running then he was. I dont really think there is a best pitcher in the NL, all 3 of them are good strong cadidates that each have their perticular strengths. May as well flip a coin for who actually gets the win.
For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.
Touching on Gidan's point above, I would like to say that I am sickened by how many "hits" these days were errors about 10 or 15 years ago.
My philosophy has always been if it hit your glove, it's an error, if you couldn't have made a catch, etc, it's a hit.
They basically fucked pitchers with the strike zone altering (see Greg Maddux) and then juiced the "hitting" by making obvious errors now hits.
Remember hit and error, or double and errors? They're called inside the park home runs now.
My philosophy has always been if it hit your glove, it's an error, if you couldn't have made a catch, etc, it's a hit.
They basically fucked pitchers with the strike zone altering (see Greg Maddux) and then juiced the "hitting" by making obvious errors now hits.
Remember hit and error, or double and errors? They're called inside the park home runs now.
Lyion wrote:If Hillary wins Texas and Ohio, she'll win the nomination.
Tossica wrote:Seriously, there is NO WAY Sony is going to put HD-DVD out of the game.
Most of the time things that blatant wouldn't be ruled a hit Gidan.
I agree with you Numatu that ERA is the most important stat, but I also think innings is key too. Carpenter logged 241 innings to Clemens 211, he pitched almost 3 1/2 more games than Clemens did. Or something in the vicinity of 15%.
When you get an extra 3-4 games out of your best pitcher, that has got to count for something.
I agree with you Numatu that ERA is the most important stat, but I also think innings is key too. Carpenter logged 241 innings to Clemens 211, he pitched almost 3 1/2 more games than Clemens did. Or something in the vicinity of 15%.
When you get an extra 3-4 games out of your best pitcher, that has got to count for something.
Beelz wrote:fuck the Yankees. I play the fagpipes.
that is all.
Another thing about Clemens is that he STILL to this day pulls the same shit he did when he was with NY. Let him get bases loaded and all of a sudden the fucker has a cramp, or a pain, etc, etc, etc and has to come out. Motherfucker can't even admit to having a bad game, it always has to be because of some bullshit injury.
Lyion wrote:If Hillary wins Texas and Ohio, she'll win the nomination.
Tossica wrote:Seriously, there is NO WAY Sony is going to put HD-DVD out of the game.
OuchyFish wrote:Beelz wrote:fuck the Yankees. I play the fagpipes.
that is all.
Another thing about Clemens is that he STILL to this day pulls the same shit he did when he was with NY. Let him get bases loaded and all of a sudden the fucker has a cramp, or a pain, etc, etc, etc and has to come out. Motherfucker can't even admit to having a bad game, it always has to be because of some bullshit injury.
Amen.