November 13, 200322 yr he deserved it... great job NEW YORK -- Eric Gagne of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first relief pitcher in 11 years to win a Cy Young Award, easily beating San Francisco's Jason Schmidt for the National League honor. NL Cy Young Award Voting Player 1st 2nd 3rd Total Gagne, L.A. 28 2 146 Schmidt, S.F. 2 17 12 73 Prior, Chi. 2 11 17 60 Ortiz, Atl. 2 3 9 Gagne, who converted all 55 of his save opportunities, received 28 of 32 first-place votes and 146 points in balloting released Thursday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Schmidt was second with two first-place votes and 73 points. Chicago's Mark Prior got the other first-place votes and was third with 60 points. Gagne, a 27-year-old right-hander, was 2-3 with a 1.20 ERA and had 137 strikeouts and 20 walks in 82 1/3 innings. He had 52 saves the previous season and is the only pitcher to reach 50 saves in more than one season. He is the first reliever to win a Cy Young since Oakland's Dennis Eckersley won the AL award in 1992. The previous NL reliever to win a Cy Young was San Diego's Mark Davis in 1989. Gagne failed to hold a lead just once this season -- he allowed a two-run, go-ahead homer to Hank Blalock of Texas in the eighth inning of the All-Star game. Gagne is just the second Canadian to win a Cy Young, following Ferguson Jenkins of the Cubs in 1971. Because he wasn't eligible for arbitration and his contract was automatically renewed by the Dodgers in March, Gagne doesn't get a bonus added to his $550,000 salary. Schmidt, 17-5 with a league-leading 2.34 ERA, gets $75,000 for finishing second. Prior, 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA, gets $100,000 for winding up third and also receives $100,000 raises in each of the next three seasons. With Prior's All-Star selection and Cy Young finish, the value of his five-year contract increases from $10.5 million to $12.5 million.
November 13, 200322 yr Congrats Eric Gagne! :thumbup :rock :elefant :balloons :party :arms :cheers :jump :compute :anon
November 13, 200322 yr THIS IS COMPLETE bulls***. HOW CAN THEY NOT GIVE IT TO PRIOR OR SCHMIDT? IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL, AND IF GAGNE WAS THE BEST PITCHER HE'D BE STARTING BUT FACT OF THE MATTER IS HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO START SO HOW CAN HE BE THE BEST PITCHER? HE'S THE THIRD MOST DESERVING ON HIS OWN DAMN TEAM. SCHMIDT WAS MORE DESERVING. PRIOR AND WOOD WERE MORE DESERVING. BROWN AND NOMO WERE MORE DESERVING. ORTIZ WAS MORE DESERVING.
November 13, 200322 yr THIS IS COMPLETE bulls***. HOW CAN THEY NOT GIVE IT TO PRIOR OR SCHMIDT? IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL, AND IF GAGNE WAS THE BEST PITCHER HE'D BE STARTING BUT FACT OF THE MATTER IS HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO START SO HOW CAN HE BE THE BEST PITCHER? HE'S THE THIRD MOST DESERVING ON HIS OWN DAMN TEAM. SCHMIDT WAS MORE DESERVING. PRIOR AND WOOD WERE MORE DESERVING. BROWN AND NOMO WERE MORE DESERVING. ORTIZ WAS MORE DESERVING. Darn. Another Giant gets hosed. Pun intended.
November 13, 200322 yr wow.... well if a reliever could ever win it, it was definately going to be Gagne.
November 13, 200322 yr not true. The guy had a losing record and didn't even throw 100 innings Woopty doo. He's a reliever. Just admit it. The best man won. Get over it.
November 13, 200322 yr the best guy didn't win. Should they give the MVP award to the best pinch hitter in baseball? This is like if they gave the award to John Vanderwal when he hit the most pinch homers in a season.
November 13, 200322 yr the best guy didn't win. Should they give the MVP award to the best pinch hitter in baseball? This is like if they gave the award to John Vanderwal when he hit the most pinch homers in a season. Dante Hall might win the NFL MVP award, and he's a kick returner. Your point is invalid. The voters have spoken, and Gagne wins by a landslide.
November 13, 200322 yr THIS IS COMPLETE bulls***. HOW CAN THEY NOT GIVE IT TO PRIOR OR SCHMIDT? IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL, AND IF GAGNE WAS THE BEST PITCHER HE'D BE STARTING BUT FACT OF THE MATTER IS HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO START SO HOW CAN HE BE THE BEST PITCHER? HE'S THE THIRD MOST DESERVING ON HIS OWN DAMN TEAM. SCHMIDT WAS MORE DESERVING. PRIOR AND WOOD WERE MORE DESERVING. BROWN AND NOMO WERE MORE DESERVING. ORTIZ WAS MORE DESERVING. 3rd most deserving on his own team? Please, put down the crackpipe. Gagne deserved it, I understand you don't like that, but admit it, the best man won. If Schmidt and Prior are so great, why could neither of them win 20 when Esteban frickin' Loaiza won 21 games? Yeah, that's what I thought. 55 of 55 saves?? That is something you can't even do in a video game, let alone real life. Gagne deserved it, i'm surprised it was even this close.
November 13, 200322 yr the best guy didn't win. Should they give the MVP award to the best pinch hitter in baseball? This is like if they gave the award to John Vanderwal when he hit the most pinch homers in a season. No, it is not. Stop using that invalid example and come up with a new one because A) it isn't the proper comparison and B) The Giants suck
November 13, 200322 yr Author THIS IS COMPLETE bulls***. HOW CAN THEY NOT GIVE IT TO PRIOR OR SCHMIDT? IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL, AND IF GAGNE WAS THE BEST PITCHER HE'D BE STARTING BUT FACT OF THE MATTER IS HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO START SO HOW CAN HE BE THE BEST PITCHER? HE'S THE THIRD MOST DESERVING ON HIS OWN DAMN TEAM. SCHMIDT WAS MORE DESERVING. PRIOR AND WOOD WERE MORE DESERVING. BROWN AND NOMO WERE MORE DESERVING. ORTIZ WAS MORE DESERVING. im sorry, you are the biggest f***ing baby on earth Gagne has one of the greatest pitching seasons ever shut your f***ing face
November 13, 200322 yr Everyone knows the reason you didn't want him to win was because he is a Dodger GiantsInNever. You might as well be a man and admit it.
November 14, 200322 yr lol and he wanted a former giant to win it if schmidt didnt win it... giantsman here is imatrue and is bias always about giants.
November 14, 200322 yr IMO Schimdt should of gotten it. This award should come to starting pitchers. Jason worked his Butt off and deserved it tremendously but i cant argue with how Gange did this season. It Was a tough choice though.
November 14, 200322 yr Where did GiantsIn04 go? :lol The greatest single season for a reliever in baseball history (IMO) deserves the Cy Young. And like someone said, if Jason is so good, why couldn't he win 20? Prior had an excuse being on the DL, but Schmit was healthy all year. Not only that, but his team won 100+ games, unlike Loazia and Halladay's teams, who barely beat .500 and managed to win 20.
November 14, 200322 yr IMO Schimdt should of gotten it. This award should come to starting pitchers. Jason worked his Butt off and deserved it tremendously but i cant argue with how Gange did this season. It Was a tough choice though. Prior or Schmidt. Gagne was the third most deserving on his own damn team.
November 14, 200322 yr Where did GiantsIn04 go? :lol The greatest single season for a reliever in baseball history (IMO) deserves the Cy Young. And like someone said, if Jason is so good, why couldn't he win 20? Prior had an excuse being on the DL, but Schmit was healthy all year. Not only that, but his team won 100+ games, unlike Loazia and Halladay's teams, who barely beat .500 and managed to win 20. Schmidt was not healthy all year. Check your facts. He missed a couple starts due to his mother's death. He missed some starts because of an arm problem, and when he didn't miss those starts he was playing injured. Schmidt was playing injured all year. They told him back in July that he would have to have surgery and miss the rest of the year but he said no and insisted on pitching the rest of the year, waiting until after the season to have the surgery. Schmidt had the best record in the NL. Schmidt had the best ERA. Schmidt had the best WHIP. Schmidt had the best BAA.
November 14, 200322 yr I want you to be honest without yourself here Giants and just admit this for me, be honest here. If Eric Gagne had the season he had as a Giant, you KNOW you would be on here talking about how much he deserved it. You're only making that closer case because it's convenient to the fact that a Giant didn't get the award. Until someone shows me where it says the Cy Young goes to the best starting pitcher, it has to be Gagne. He had a season for the ages, unmatched in history. You HAVE to give him this award. Remember: Closers are pitchers too (And if I were in marketing, I'd pitch that campaign, take it over the top, you could get some great commercials out of that)
November 14, 200322 yr the award goes to the best pitcher in baseball. If Gagne's only a closer because he sucks at starting, then how can he be the best pitcher?
November 14, 200322 yr the award goes to the best pitcher in baseball. If Gagne's only a closer because he sucks at starting, then how can he be the best pitcher? So, what if someone comes up through the ranks as a closer, sucks, then becomes a starter and wins 22 games? He can't win the Cy Young because he's only a starter because he sucked at closing? That's like saying a 3rd Basemen can't win the Gold Glove because he's only there because he sucked at Shortstop. Who cares? And it doesn't go the best pitcher anyway. It goes to the pitcher who had the best season.
November 14, 200322 yr it's like saying someone that sucks at third, moves to short and wins the gold glove, and everyone says he's better defensively than the 3b gold glover who can also play short pretty well
November 14, 200322 yr Answer the first one. It's more relevant anyway. If someone comes up through the ranks as a closer, sucks, then becomes a starter and wins 22 games? He can't win the Cy Young because he's only a starter because he sucked at closing? And don't tell me it's different, because it's not. That's what you're saying, I just switched "starter" and "closer." The simple fact is that they're completely different roles that fall under the pitcher category. It doesn't matter that Gagne sucked as a starter, hell it doesn't even matter what he did last year, all that matters is THIS SEASON. And THIS SEASON Gagne had the best year of any pitcher in the Major Leagues and had, quite possibly, one of the greatest pitching seasons of all-time. You can bring up the losing record all you want, it's not relevant. He was 55 of 55, perfecto, best ever. The guy gave up 37 hits all season! 37! He had a total of 57 baserunners in 82.3 innings pitched, that is flat-out sick. He struck out 137 guys! I mean, come on. I mean, honestly, saying Eric Gagne didn't deserve the Cy Young because he sucked as a starter is just stupid. He had the best season of any pitcher in baseball this season. Last year, or any other year, doesn't matter. Hell, you wana make that argument, I'll say Jason Schmidt doesn't deserve it because he was 11-14 in '98. I'll say that Jason Schmidt is only a Giant because he was rather mediocre as a Pirate and thus was available for what the Giants had to offer. So, Schmidt only had that good of a year because he was mediocre as a Pirate. Pretty ignorant huh? And yet it's about as relevant as your biased, Giant-loving arguments. If Tim Worrell went 55 of 55 and Mark Prior won the Cy Young you'd be throwing a damn fit. Gagne won the Cy Young, Gagne deserved the Cy Young, and frankly, anyone else winning it would have been a crime. Period. End of story. End of discussion. You can keep arguing with me, but you've already lost because I'm right. :thumbup
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