MLB Milestones: deGrom joins shortlist of pitchers to win consecutive Cy Young awards

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom became the 11th pitcher ever to win consecutive Cy Young awards. Let’s take a look at who else accomplished this feat.

When New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom won his second consecutive Cy Young Award on Wednesday, no one was surprised. Once thought of as third in line behind Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard in the Mets rotation, not only has deGrom established himself as by far the team’s best starter, he’s cemented himself as one of baseball’s best pitchers.

After a, somewhat, rocky start to the 2019 MLB season, deGrom settled in rather nicely, going 7-1 with a 1.44 after the All-Star Game.

In all, according to FanGraphs, deGrom (7.0 fWAR) was by far the best pitcher in the National League and a close second behind Gerrit Cole (7.4 fWAR) in all of MLB. His ERA (2.43) was the second-lowest in the game behind Hyun-Jin Ryu (2.32), and his FIP (2.67) fell behind only Max Scherzer (2.45) and the aforementioned Cole (2.64).

In winning two consecutive Cy Young Awards, the New York Mets ace has placed himself in a shortlist of just 11 pitchers all-time to ever win consecutive Cy Young Awards, which brings us here today.

Let’s take a look at the other starters to ever accomplish this.

Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist

Sandy Koufax (1965-66)

In many circles, Sandy Koufax is the greatest pitcher of all time. For a period between 1962 and 1966, Koufax sported a 111-34 (.766 W-L%) record with a stellar 1.95 ERA and 0.926 WHIP. In this 5-year stretch, Koufax won five consecutive ERA titles and won three Cy Young awards. It is perhaps the most dominating 5-year stretch of any pitcher in MLB history.

Among Koufax’s accomplishments are three no-hitters and one perfect game. All of which occurred between the years 1962 and 1965.

Before retiring after the 1966 season, Koufax posted perhaps his best season ever. That year, he won a career-high 27 games and posted the lowest ERA (1.73) of his career.

In some ways, his decision to retire at the age of 30 and after having a career-season, is really quite admirable. Having experienced chronic arthritis in his pitching arm, he was afraid that if he continued pitching, he would eventually lose all use of his left hand.

According to history.com, Koufax’s decision to retire was that he ultimately had no other alternative. “The wisdom was if you went in there,” Koufax said, “it would only make things worse and your career would be over, anyway. Now you go in, fix it, and you’re OK for next spring.”

Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist

Denny McLain (1968-69)

Denny McLain‘s career before and after his consecutive Cy Young seasons were really quite the same, average. From the time he made his pitching debut in 1963 to 1967, McLain pitched to a  .584 W-L% with a 3.57 ERA. After winning his second Cy Young in 1969, from 1970 to 1972 he pitched to a .333 W-L% with a 4.78 ERA.

For two seasons, however, from 1968 to 1969 McLain was the greatest pitcher on the planet. Combined, those seasons McLain won 55 games while pitching to a 2.37 ERA and a 0.997 WHIP.

What’s more, in 1968, McLain accomplished something unheard of in today’s game. He won 31 games, securing his first Cy Young Award and an MVP award. No pitcher had won 31 games in a single season since Lefty Grove did it in 1931 and it hasn’t been done since.

Not only does McLain own a spot in this shortlist, he belongs to another even more exclusive one as well. You see, when McLain earned his Cy Young and MVP award in 1968, he became only the third pitcher ever to do so. Since McLain accomplished the feat, seven others have joined in as well

1. Bob Gibson, 1968
2. Rollie Fingers, 1981
3. Willie Hernandez, 1984
4. Roger Clemens, 1986
5. Dennis Eckersley, 1992
6. Justin Verlander, 2011
7. Clayton Kershaw, 2014

Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist

Jim Palmer (1975-76)

Jim Palmer is one of the most decorated pitchers in the history of the game. On top of winning three Cy Young Awards, Palmer also owns two ERA titles, four gold glove awards, and three World Series rings.

Palmer missed part of 1967 and all of 1968 because of chronic arm injuries. After returning in 1969, however, he became one of the most consistent pitchers in the game. In fact, from 1969 to 1982 – 13 seasons – Palmer pitched to a 240-130 record with a 2.74 ERA.

It was in that time where he won all of his awards, including his first two World Series titles. What’s more, also in that same time span, Palmer reached at least 20 wins in a season eight times. He even placed second in the MVP voting in 1973, losing out to Reggie Jackson.

Today, Palmer continues to be involved in MLB, broadcasting Orioles games on MASN for 28 years and counting. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990 with 92.6% of the vote.

This is where the list begins to get interesting. With a 10-year lull between the time Palmer accomplished the feat, a fireballer will emerge for the Boston Red Sox who would go on to be the first pitcher ever to accomplish the feat twice.

I’m talking about none other than…

Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist

Greg Maddux (1992-95)

Not only did Greg Maddux win four Cy Young Awards, but he also won them all consecutively. From 1992 to 1995, “The Professor” absolutely dominated the baseball world, not with heat, but with pure guile and even more smarts.

In that four-year span, Maddux lead the league in IP and FIP each season. He also managed to pitch to a phenomenal 75-29 (.721 W-L%) record and a 1.98 ERA. Not just that, Maddux led the league in wins, ERA, WHIP, innings pitched and complete games a combined 19 times in his career.

Teams didn’t always show confidence in the righty. In fact, prior to becoming a free agent at the age of 25 in 1991, the Chicago Cubs told him at the all-star break that he had a lot to prove, having never won 20 games or a Cy Young, according to the Daily Herald. That season, Maddux went 20-11 and won the NL Cy Young award.

It would be the first of four consecutive Cy Young’s, as mentioned before, yet he was still able to test free agency. Ultimately, he would join the Atlanta Braves organization where he would go on to win the World Series in 1995. The Cubs, on the other hand, won’t go on to win a championship until 2016, 21 years later.

Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist

Pedro Martínez (1999-2000)

Anyone who has written anything I have written knows that I believe Pedro Martinez is the greatest pitcher of all time. Sure, he doesn’t have the 300 wins and began to fizzle out at around the age of 34. He does, however, own the greatest single-season of any starter in the history of baseball.

That season, Pedro went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA; he also struck out 313 batters while posting a 1.39 FIP. That 1.39 FIP, by the way, is the lowest FIP posted in the history of baseball. The next guy, Dwight Gooden, posted a 1.69 FIP in 1984.

Now, this is important to note because, as you probably know, FIP is essentially a pitchers ERA without taking his fielders into consideration. It’s a true indicator of a pitcher’s performance by taking in to account only what he can control. In this regard, there was nobody better than Pedro.

Surprisingly, by most statistical measures, Martinez’s 2000 season was even better. That year, Martinez posted a 1.74 ERA while striking out 284 batters. His FIP, however, increased to 2.17. Stellar, but not 1999.

In 2015, Pedro Martinez was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot with 91.1% of the vote.

Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist

Randy Johnson (1999-2002)

When looking at pitcher’s body of work, Randy Johnson is perhaps the most impressive on this list. Not only did he help slay the Yankee monster that had previously won three consecutive World Series championships (1998-2000) while with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, he also joins Greg Maddux as the only two pitchers ever to win four consecutive Cy Young Awards.

Unlike Maddux, however, Johnson’s presence on the mound was intimidating. Not only does he measure close to 7-feet, but he also featured a fastball that touched over 100 MPH at times. This helped him to strike out 4875 batters in his career, second all-time behind Nolan Ryan.

If we were to take a birdseye view of Johnson’s 22 seasons in MLB, he is one of 24 pitchers ever to win 300 or more games in the history of the game ever to win 300 or more games. Zoom in closer and you’ll find that he is only one of 10 pitchers ever to win 300 games and strike out at least 3000 batters. Even closer now, you’ll see that he is only one of four pitchers ever to win 300 and strike out at least 4000 batters.

That’s some real exclusivity there, and I’m not quite sure that we’ll ever see that level of performance again.

Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist

Tim Lincecum (2008-09)

Like Denny McLain, Tim Lincecum‘s career is something of an enigma. In all, Lincecum’s career only spanned 10-seasons, only four of which were absolutely stellar. From 2008-2011, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better starting pitcher.

Whether it was the odd pitching motion, I don’t know, but in that time span, Lincecum pitched to a 62-36 record with a 2.81 ERA. Though he only won two Cy Young Awards in his career, during that four-year span, he placed in the top-10 in Cy Young Award votes.

What’s more, he also appeared in four consecutive All-Star games in that time. He even went on to win three titles with the San Francisco Giants, the first of which occurred in that final season of dominance in 2010.

In 2018, two years after leaving the game, Lincecum attempted a comeback. Unfortunately, that comeback hit the skids when the Texas Rangers, who took a chance on him, released him early on in the season. As a reliever in the Pacific Coast League that year, Lincecum appeared in 10 games posting a 1-1 record with a 5.68 ERA.

Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist

Clayton Kershaw (2013-14)

There’s no question that Clayton Kershaw belongs on the same pedestal many experts and analysts place the likes of Sandy Koufax and Pedro Martinez in. He’s not a fireballer and isn’t necessarily the most intimidating pitcher, he is, however, the true definition of a pitcher. His repertoire of pitches and how well he delivers him has made him one of the most unhittable regular season pitchers in the history of the game.

In 12 big league seasons, Kershaw has posted an ERA over 3 only twice. In all, his career ERA is a stellar 2.44. In the history of the game, among all starting pitchers with a minimum 2000 IP, Kershaw is one of 19 pitchers to feature an 2.44 career ERA or lower.

Not only that, as mentioned before, he is only one of 10 pitchers in MLB history to ever win a Cy Young Award and an MVP in the same season. He accomplished the feat in 2014 when he pitched to a 21-3 record with a 1.77 ERA an a 1.81 FIP.

Now, I’m sure many of you will retort by bringing to attention his postseason performance. While I agree that he is a completely different pitcher in postseason play, so are many of the other pitchers on this list. The fact of the matter is, we’re currently seeing one of the all-time greats. Enjoy it while you can.

Consecutive Cy Young Awards Shortlist

Max Scherzer (2016-17)

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Finally, there’s the newly adorned World Series champion Max Scherzer, whom some consider the toughest pitcher currently in MLB. Unlike many of the starters on this list, Scherzer didn’t fully bloom into the type of pitcher that he is until his age 28 season, his sixth big-league season.

Since then, beginning in 2013 until now Scherzer has pitched to an 118-47 record and a 2.82 ERA. He has struck out at least 200 or more batters in each of those seasons, striking out 300 in 2018, and has secured three Cy Young Awards.

While we can agree that we probably will never see a 300-game winner, with the direction in which the game is going, we may never even see a 200-game winner, let alone one with 3000 strikeouts. At this rate, not only will Scherzer win at least 200 games, he will most certainly punchout at the very least 3000 hitters.

What compiling this list has taught me is that we are in the midst a golden age of elite starting pitchers. This despite the fact that we’re seeing a record number of home runs. Enjoy it, baseball fans, we may never see this level of performance again.