Scherzer, Kershaw awarded Cy Young
Tigers ace says he’s open to extension
NEW YORK Max Scherzer did most everything on the mound this season — led the majors in wins, started the all-star game, helped put his team in the playoffs.
Now, the newly minted AL Cy Young Award winner said he will “wait and see” whether he’s returning to the Detroit Tigers next year.
Scherzer went 21-3 and was an easy pick Wednesday as the American League’s top pitcher, drawing 28 of 30 firstplace votes from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the NL Cy Young Award for the second time in three seasons, coming within one vote of a unanimous selection.
Scherzer — like Kershaw — can become a free agent after the 2014 season, and the Tigers are trying to figure out if they can afford him along with all their other stars such as Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Justin Verlander. That’s prompted talk they might trade Scherzer before opening day.
“I love it here in Detroit,” Scherzer said on a conference call. “Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this?”
“The business side will take care of itself,” he said. “It really depends on what Detroit wants to do.”
Scherzer and agent Scott Boras said they’re open to talking to the Tigers about an extension.
Scherzer lost only three times this season and was the lone 20-game winner in baseball. He ranked second in the majors, with 240 strikeouts, and was fifth in the AL with a 2.90 ERA.
The 29-year-old righty smiled and raised both arms Wednesday when the Cy Young results were announced.
“It’s unbelievable. It just vindicates everything I’ve done,” Scherzer said, saying the run support he got from Detroit’s powerful lineup probably helped his candidacy.
“I’ve been working so hard all these years to get better and better,” he added. “I think I took a big step forward in 2013.”
Texas Rangers’ Yu Darvish was second, marking the highest finish by a Japanese-born pitcher in Cy Young voting. Hisashi Iwakuma of the Seattle Mariners came in third.
“It was an honour to be a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award,” Darvish said in a statement. “Both Max Scherzer and Hisashi Iwakuma had tremendous seasons. Max is a very deserving winner.”
The AL and NL Most Valuable Player awards will be presented Thursday.