Sep 30, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Photo Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer earned his third Cy Young Award by beating out teammate Stephen Strasburg and Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the voting announced on Wednesday.
Scherzer, who won the American League Cy Young Award in 2013 with the Detroit Tigers, picked up his second National League honor in a row. The 33-year-old went 16-6 with a 2.51 ERA and led the NL with 268 strikeouts in 200 2/3 innings.
Scherzer’s WHIP (0.902) and hits per nine innings (5.7) both paced the NL. He received 27 of the 30 first-place votes and placed second on the other three ballots.
Kershaw went 18-4 with an NL-leading 2.31 ERA but pitched 25 fewer innings than Scherzer after missing over a month with a lower back strain. The 29-year-old took the other three first-place votes and finished in the top three of the voting for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
–Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber picked up his second American League Cy Young Award from the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Kluber, who won his first Cy Young Award in 2014, posted an 18-4 mark with a league-leading 2.25 ERA for the AL Central Division champions in 2017. The 31-year-old right-hander paced the AL in WHIP at 0.869 and struck out 265 batters in 203 2/3 innings over 29 starts.
Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale took the other two first-place votes and finished second overall while New York Yankees right-hander Luis Severino ended up third.
–Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said he has yet to speak directly with superstar Giancarlo Stanton in regard to potential trade rumors upon addressing reporters at the general managers meetings in Orlando, Fla.
Jeter also said that it’s not an absolute that Stanton will be wearing another team’s jersey next season.
Stanton, who has a full no-trade clause, is due $295 million over the next 10 seasons with an opt-out clause after 2020. The 28-year-old powerhouse led the majors in homers (59) and RBIs (132) last season and batted .281 in a career-high 159 games.
–The Nationals finalized new manager Dave Martinez’s coaching staff, adding Henry Blanco as the bullpen coach.
The Nationals revealed the rest of their staff last week. Blanco joins bench coach Chip Hale, pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, hitting coach Kevin Long, first base coach Tim Bogar, third base coach Bobby Henley and assistant hitting coach Joe Dillon.
Blanco, 46, served as the Chicago Cubs’ quality assurance coach for three seasons. The 2018 season will mark his fifth season as a coach, adding a year as an assistant coach/bullpen catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014, and his 29th in professional baseball.
