Verlander, Alcantara win unanimous Cy Youngs
It didn’t take Justin Verlander long to realize he could have a special year after missing almost two full seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Heading into his fifth start, Verlander knew he was back.
“I felt normal and like myself, pain-free, able to recover like I always have,” he said. “I think my mindset just completely shifted to like, ‘OK, I am the pitcher I’ve always been.’ ”
On Wednesday, the Houston ace capped his stellar season by winning the American League Cy Young Award, joining Miami’s
Sandy Alcantara in the National League as unanimous selections.
It’s the second time the winners in both leagues were unanimous since the award began in 1956 and the first since Detroit’s Denny McLain in the AL and St. Louis’
Bob Gibson in the NL swept the voting in 1968.
The 39-year-old Verlander, who also won the award in 2019 after winning both most valuable player and the Cy Young in 2011, becomes the 11th player to win it three times. He also won unanimously in 2011.
Verlander said this one has a different meaning.
“It shows that I’m at a different point in my life,” he said. “I will always remember this Cy Young as looking back at the growth of me as a father and as a person, and just also the rehab and all the hard work that went into the rehab and how I was just so committed to it was going to go well and I was going to come back and be me.” Verlander led the majors with a 1.75 earned-run average, the lowest of his 17-year career, and his 18 wins led the AL.
He becomes the fourth AL pitcher with two unanimous Cy Young Awards, joining Roger Clemens (1986, 1998), Pedro Martinez (1999, 2000) and Johan Santana (2004, 2006).
Verlander led the Astros to the best record in the AL, and though the postseason doesn’t count for the award, he got his first World Series win in Game 5 as Houston beat Philadelphia in six games.
Alcantara had a 2.28 ERA while pitching a major league-best 2282⁄3 innings and six complete games. It’s the first Cy Young for the 27year-old from the Dominican Republic, who becomes the first Marlins pitcher to receive the honor.
Atlanta’s Max Fried was second with 72 points and Dodgers lefthander Julio Urías was third.
Surgery for Harper
Bryce Harper will have surgery to address a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow that forced the Philadelphia outfielder to spend the bulk of this season as designated hitter.
As a result, Harper might not be ready for opening day March 30. There’s no timetable for his return.
“We have no prognosis, really, until he goes into the elbow and takes a look at it,” President Dave Dombrowski said of the surgeon.
The elbow injury did little to slow Harper. The 2021 NL MVP hit six home runs in the playoffs, was MVP of the NL Championship Series and led the Phillies to their first World Series since 2009.
Etc.
Seattle acquired outfielder Teoscar Hernández from Toronto for reliever Erik Swanson and a minor leaguer . ... Right-hander Nick Martinez re-signed with San Diego on a three-year, $26-million deal.