Zito!

Barry Zito wins Cy Young

Thursday, November 7

Zito led American League with 23 wins

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Associated Press


NEW YORK -- Oakland's Barry Zito edged Boston's Pedro Martinez to win his first American League Cy Young Award on Thursday.


Zito, who went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA to help the Athletics win the AL West, received 17 first-place votes, nine seconds and two thirds for 114 points from a panel of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Martinez, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, got 11 firsts, 12 seconds and five thirds for 96 points after going 20-4 with a 2.26 ERA. Boston teammate Derek Lowe, 21-8 with a 2.58 ERA, was third with 41 points, and Anaheim's Jarrod Washburn (18-6, 3.15) got one point.


"It's amazing just to be mentioned in the same category as guys like Pedro,'' Zito said. "He's one of the greatest pitchers by far, of my era at least. To be mentioned in the same category is mind-blowing.''


Zito, a 24-year-old left-hander, led the AL in wins, was third in ERA behind Martinez and Lowe, and tied the Yankees' Mike Mussina for third in strikeouts at 182 behind Martinez (239) and New York's Roger Clemens (192).


Opposing batters had a .185 average with runners in scoring position against Zito, the lowest in the AL.


Zito's 47-17 career record gives him a .734 winning percentage, the best since 1900 among pitchers with 50 or more decisions. He became the fifth Oakland pitcher to win the award, following Vida Blue (1971), Catfish Hunter (1974), Bob Welch (1990) and Dennis Eckersley (1992).


Zito hopes to win many more honors.


"My dad always told me dream big and dream always,'' he said. "It's not like I shoot for the Cy Young award,'' he said. "I have big aspirations of what I want to do in this game and what I want to achieve in, hopefully, a long career.''


Zito gets a $100,000 bonus for winning and Martinez, who won the NL award with Montreal in 1997 and the AL award in 1999 and 2000, gets a $500,000 bonus for finishing second. Lowe, who pitched a no-hitter against Tampa Bay on April 27, gets $50,000 for finishing third.


On Tuesday, Arizona's Randy Johnson won his fourth straight NL Cy Young Award. He earned a $1 million bonus and a $3 million raise next season.
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I'm surprised that he beat out Pedro, but glad that he won.

 

Wooops.. i just noticed RM95's post bout this.. feel free to lock it.

Sorry!