By Mel Antonen
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WASHINGTON - At one point, my vote was for Felix Hernandez. I also considered CC Sabathia, but as a former baseball writer for USA TODAY, I voted for Tampa Bay's David Price to win the American League Cy Young Award.
Seattle's Hernandez won the Baseball Writers Association of America award Thursday, but Price should have won: Price's pitching in must-win games trumps Hernandez's stats in meaningless games.
This is not an anti-statistics stance. The stats explosion is valuable. I get that wins aren't ideal for judging pitchers. Hernandez's innings (249 2/3), strikeouts (232), WHIP (1.06), ERA (2.27), as well as a list of other statistics, show how impressive he was.
But, too much consideration can be given to statistics and not enough to pitching in games that teams have to win. Nobody did that better than Price, who was a big reason the Rays won the AL East.
Price gave up three earned runs or less in 28 of his 31 starts. His final log - 19 wins, 2.72 ERA, 188 strikeouts and a 1.19 WHIP - is Cy Young worthy.
Hernandez shouldn't get consideration because he was a victim of the Seattle Mariners' lousy offense. The argument, "He would have won 20 with a good offense,'' doesn't work.
Don't forget that the Rays scored two or fewer runs in seven of Price's starts, six of them losses. The Rays' .247 team average was fifth-lowest all-time among AL playoff teams.
Against the AL East, Price had a 2.12 ERA and 10 wins, three less than Hernandez had for the season. Price was 8-1 in 13 starts after a Rays loss. He and Boston's Jon Lester each had 12 wins vs. teams with winning records, tied for the best in the majors.
Price dominated when the Rays needed him most: In his last 20 starts, he increased his strikeouts from 6.36 to 9.21 per nine innings. And, he was 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA during September.
Hernandez's stats are incredible, but Price's performance made a bigger impression, especially because he won big games. That's why I voted for Price.
I knew King Felix would win the award, but I was surprised the voting was not closer then it was. I thought Price was a more deserving winner. He had an amazing Sept. when every start was being watched, while in Seattle most people forget they were still playing! Glad Price got your vote!
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