sportsjabber.net

To the absolute surprise of absolutely nobody, Justin Verlander is American League’s Cy Young Award winner in 2011. Also to absolutely nobody’s surprise, it was a landslide:

Nobody started more games than Verlander, or pitched more innings. Nobody struck out more batters, or more batters per nine innings. Nobody won more games, or won a higher percentage of decisions.

Justin Verlander won 24 games this year. Since 1980, there have been 17 pitcher-seasons that included at least 23 wins, including Steve Carlton twice. Only two of those seasons did not result in a Cy Young award … and both of those pitchers — Danny Jackson in 1988 and Curt Schilling in 2002 — finished second in the balloting, behind another pitcher who won at least 23 games.