Lincecum's the one; that makes two Cys Wainwright finishes third despite getting most first-place votes By Chris Haft / MLB.com http://0rz.tw/ZnuQu 11/19/09 4:30 PM EST SAN FRANCISCO -- From now on, when Tim Lincecum steps onto the pitcher's mound, he'll stand alone in more ways than one. Many pitchers have recorded more victories and strikeouts than Lincecum. Several have received more Cy Young Awards. None, however, thrived to the extent that he has during a career that has been as brilliant as it is brief. On Thursday, Lincecum became the only pitcher to capture the Cy Young Award in each of his first two full Major League seasons. The San Francisco Giants right-hander was named the National League's repeat winner Thursday in balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. "It's a tremendous honor for me," said Lincecum, 25. "To be up there and do what I've done means the world." Lincecum made history in one of the closest Cy Young votes ever. In balloting that assigned five points for a first-place vote, three for a second-place vote and one for a third-place nod, Lincecum totaled 100 points and 11 first-place votes. He edged St. Louis' pair of prolific right-handers, Chris Carpenter (nine first-place votes, 94 points) and Adam Wainwright (12 first-place votes, 90 points). "I almost jumped out of my window," Lincecum said, describing his reaction upon receiving the news. "Maybe not [literally], but I had to go to the window to take the call." Lincecum's six-point victory matched the third-closest election in the NL since the ballot expanded from one to three pitchers in 1970. The 10-point margin among the top three vote-getters was the second closest in NL voting. In 1987, Philadelphia reliever Steve Bedrosian edged Chicago's Rick Sutcliffe, 57-55, while Rick Reuschel, who pitched for both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Giants that season, finished third with 54 points. Lincecum (15-7, 2.48 ERA, 261 strikeouts) triumphed despite recording the lowest victory total for a full-season starter by a Cy Young winner. The previous low was established in 2006 by Arizona's Brandon Webb, who finished 16-8, and was matched only Tuesday when Kansas City's Zack Greinke (16-8) won the AL Cy Young Award. Lincecum's victory total not only tied him for fourth in the league with seven other pitchers but also represented a dip from last year, when he went 18-5 and joined 1967 Cy Young recipient Mike McCormick to become only the second Giant to win the award. Much like this year, Lincecum earned 23 of 32 first-place votes despite finishing four victories behind Webb. Though Wainwright (19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212 strikeouts) led the league in victories and Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA, 144 strikeouts) was tops in ERA, Lincecum's superiority in more esoteric statistical categories was believed to have influenced voters in his favor. "You can see where it's taken a turn to complete numbers," Lincecum said, referring to the evolving thought process of Cy Young electors. Wainwright became only the second pitcher to garner the most first-place votes and not win the award. In 1998, Atlanta's Tom Glavine collected 11 first-place votes to 13 for San Diego's Trevor Hoffman but amassed the most points, 98-88, and took home the trophy. Tim Lincecum became the eighth pitcher to be named the Cy Young Award winner in consecutive seasons. Pitcher League Years Tim Lincecum NL 2008-09 Randy Johnson NL 1999-2002 Pedro Martinez AL 1999-2000 Roger Clemens AL 1986, 87, 1997-98 Greg Maddux NL 1992-95 Jim Palmer AL 1975-76 Denny McLain AL 1968-69* Sandy Koufax MLB 1965-66 * In 1969, McLain shared the honor with Mike Cuellar. That's partly why Lincecum called himself "lucky" to win the award. "Both the guys I was going up against had tremendous seasons," he said, calling Wainwright a "workhorse" and praising Carpenter's speedy comeback from injuries. Lincecum is the first pitcher to win consecutive Cy Young Awards since Randy Johnson, a Giant in 2009, won four in a row with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1999-2002. Other back-to-back winners include Pedro Martinez (1999-2000), Roger Clemens (1997-98 and 1986-87), Greg Maddux (1992-95), Jim Palmer (1975-76), Denny McLain (1968-69; he shared the honor in the latter year with Mike Cuellar) and Sandy Koufax (1965-66). Lincecum clearly improved overall upon his first Cy Young season. He trimmed his ERA by 0.14. Opponents hit .206 off him this season, compared to .221 in 2008. After walking 84 in 227 innings a year ago, he improved to 68 walks in 225 1/3 innings this season. The NL's starter in this year's All-Star Game, Lincecum led the league in strikeouts for the second year in a row, the first Giant to do so since Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson (1907-08). Lincecum also topped the NL with 26 quality starts while ranking second in ERA and opponents' batting average and third in innings. He tied teammate Matt Cain for the league lead with four complete games and joined four other pitchers atop the NL list with two shutouts. Lincecum led the Major Leagues by making seven starts in which he worked at least eight innings and didn't allow an earned run. Greinke recorded five such outings. Carpenter and Wainwright had four and three, respectively. Lincecum's eight double-digit strikeout performances, highlighted by his 15-strikeout effort July 27 against Pittsburgh, represented another Major League best. Lincecum topped Wainwright and Carpenter in several other statistical categories, including opponents' batting average, strikeouts per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio. At the conclusion of a nationwide conference call, Lincecum read a statement expressing contrition for being cited earlier this month for possessing a small amount of marijuana and a smoking pipe in his car in Clark County, Wash. County prosecutors and Lincecum reached a standard plea agreement, but he must appear in court in Vancouver, Wash., on Dec. 22. "I made a mistake and regret my actions earlier this month in Washington," he said. "I want to apologize to the Giants organization and to the fans. I know that as a professional athlete I have a responsibility to conduct myself appropriately both on and off the field. I certainly have learned a valuable lesson through all of this and I promise to do better in the future. In the meantime, I am focused on preparing for the 2010 season." Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. --

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