Who is the best pitcher to NEVER win the Cy Young award?

[Ramy]

Nolan Ryan is for me. He leads the world in strike outs and no-hitters. And with over 300 wins it's just amazing he didn't win it.

 

[riffjim4069]

Trick question...the answer would be Cy Young since the award was created one-year after his death. Cy Young never won the Cy Young award.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Nolan Ryan is for me. He leads the world in strike outs and no-hitters. And with over 300 wins it's just amazing he didn't win it.

The Cy Young award is obviously an annual award and it looks like Ryan rarely had the dominant stats to be in contention in an individual season. The closest he came was in 1973 when he finished second to Jim Palmer:

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/VTOH6

Looking at some of the key numbers for his career, Ryan never lead the league in wins, but he did lead once in losses. He lead the league in ERA twice, but he only had 11 and 8 wins in those two seasons.

 

[riffjim4069]

I believe Cy Young ends all discussions as to who is the best pitcher never to win the Cy Young Award. By definition, he IS the standard by which all other pitchers are measured, and he never won the namesake award.

 

[Ramy]

He wasn't eligible for the award so Cy Young doesn't count.

 

[Hart5150]

Mariano Rivera and Curt Schilling

 

[Teehar]

Sandy Koufax without question.

 

[Jimbo]

I believe Cy Young ends all discussions as to who is the best pitcher never to win the Cy Young Award. By definition, he IS the standard by which all other pitchers are measured, and he never won the namesake award.

Was he any good ?

 

[Jimbo]

The Cy Young award is obviously an annual award and it looks like Ryan rarely had the dominant stats to be in contention in an individual season. The closest he came was in 1973 when he finished second to Jim Palmer:

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/VTOH6

Looking at some of the key numbers for his career, Ryan never lead the league in wins, but he did lead once in losses. He lead the league in ERA twice, but he only had 11 and 8 wins in those two seasons.

Problem I have with Ryan is he ended up being only a slightly over .500 pitcher.

I like him and all, the K's and the No No's are great, but a .526 winning percentage is probably not making it.

 

[Teehar]

Sandy Koufax without question.

edit..dummy me misread the title.I'd have to toss David Wells into the conversation.

 

[Jimbo]

Mariano Rivera and Curt Schilling

I agree with both, however, if your still playing, you can't hardly be on this list (Rivera).

 

[Jimbo]

Did Jack Morris ever win it ?

IF Not, he's my choice.

 

[Ramy]

Did Jack Morris ever win it ?

IF Not, he's my choice.

I don't think he did. I remember one year he got robbed with the most wins. (At least I think I remember)

 

[AntAltMike]

Nolan Ryan is the greatest .500 pitcher ever. Over his career, he won about as often as Tim Wakefield.

When Ryan left one team through free agency, the GM was asked how he could ever replace him, and he said he'd get a couple of guys to go 8 and 7.

 

[salsadancer7]

I would go with the 1968 Bob Gibson where he won the Cy Young AND the AL MVP award and the 1963 Sandy Koufax that ALSO won both awards on the NL side.

 

[Ramy]

I would go with the 1968 Bob Gibson where he won the Cy Young AND the AL MVP award and the 1963 Sandy Koufax that ALSO won both awards on the NL side.

Read the title again. "NEVER" won the Cy Young award.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Joe Niekro. In 1979, he led the NL in wins with 21 and had an ERA of 3.00. Niekro came in second in the balloting to Bruce Sutter, who had 37 saves, but a 6-6 record.

For the most part, I don't believe a relief pitcher should win the CYA, unless there's a reliever with clearly dominant numbers. Sutter's don't meet that, IMO....

 

[AntAltMike]

Off the wall comment about Bob Gibson in 1968. He went 22-9 with an ERA of 1.12. That included going 13-0 in his 13 complete game shutouts, but only 9-9 in his other starts, in which he had an ERA of under 1.9. Even in the "Year of the Pitcher", that was pretty poor run support. I have heard that there was a two year stretch in Koufax's career when he had a record of 18-4 in games in which his teammates scored two or FEWER runs, meaning he won 18 games by scores of 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1.

People who use modern statistical analysis maintain that Pedro Martinez's 2000 season, when adjusted for the league offensive output, was more exceptional than was Bob Gibson's.

 

[riffjim4069]

My reply once again would be Cy Young (aka Mr. NIST, Mr. ISO, Mr De Facto, Mr. De Jure). Cy Young NEVER won a Cy Young Award and there is no better pitcher according to the standard he established. All others are a distant second...

 

[Jimbo]

My reply once again would be Cy Young (aka Mr. NIST, Mr. ISO, Mr De Facto, Mr. De Jure). Cy Young NEVER won a Cy Young Award and there is no better pitcher according to the standard he established. All others are a distant second...

Look at the competition Cy faced though, he should have won plenty of them !