I guess the big choice is pretty easy; Jim Palmer won his
first Cy Young this year, and it is pretty clear that he was the
best pitcher in the league. He was among the leaders in just about every
category, and his team had the best record in the league.
The runner-up in the vote
was Nolan Ryan, who set a record for strikeouts in a season that still stands
as of 2000. Ryan pitched for eight years with the Angels, and had many of
his best seasons with them. Five times he struck over 300 batters in a
season while in California, and twice he also walked over 200 batters. Ryan
had one of the most amazing arms ever built; he consistently threw
300 innings per season, and with his walks and strikeouts he threw more
pitches than any other pitcher in baseball. Yet he lasted 26 years without
a major injury, and was still going strong in his mid-40's.
Catfish Hunter finished third in the vote,
followed by John Hiller. I like the selection of Hiller, who had a great
year in the bullpen for the Tigers. But I think I'll take Bert Blyleven
ahead of Hunter. Blyleven was 22 years old, and was already in his fourth
season. Blyleven was born in Holland, and when he emigrated to America he
brought some exceptionally long fingers with him, and they enabled him to throw
a vicious curveball. This year, all of Blyleven's numbers were superior to Hunter's,
except the won-loss record; and as good a pitcher as Hunter was, I have to
think that he was helped by playing for one of the greatest teams ever.
Other pitchers to consider include two of
Hunter's teammates in Oakland, Ken Holtzman and Vida Blue. The Athletics
won their second of three consecutive World Series this year. It was a tough
job; first, they needed a shutout from Hunter to defeat Baltimore in the final
game of the League Championship Series. Then they needed wins in the last two games
against the upstart Mets to win the World Series.
This was also the year
that Oakland owner Charles Finley tried to replace second baseman Mike Andrews in the middle of
the Series, putting him on the injured list while he was healthy. Andrews had
committed a key error in Game Two, and Finley wanted him off the team. Oakland
manager Dick Williams resigned in protest, was replaced by Alvin Dark, and the
team won another Series in 1974.
