After 20 years in the majors and 310 career wins, Roger Clemens decided to retire. It was a voluntary decision; after winning 17 games and striking out 190 batters in 2003, there were still plenty of teams who were interested in his services. But the Rocket decided to leave on his own terms and spend more time with his family.
        Or so he said. The Houston Astros first signed Clemens' ex-teammate, Andy Pettitte as a free agent, then convinced Clemens to come back and pitch one more year for his hometown team. Whether or not they had to convince him, or whether he had it planned all along, or whether Mrs. Clemens balked at having her husband home 365 days a year, we'll never know. Once again, the Rocket's motives were a mystery.
        But it worked out great for Houston. Clemens won 18 games and his seventh Cy Young Award. The Astros, after a sluggish start, had a great second half and won the Wild Card. They won the first playoff series in franchise history. The only disappointment was Game Seven of the NLCS against St. Louis, which Clemens was unable to win for the home team.

        Astros' right-hander Roy Oswalt led the league with 20 wins; though he had a fine year, Oswalt was only the third-best pitcher on his own team. In addition to the Rocket, the Astros had Brad Lidge, a relief pitcher who began the year as setup man for closer Octavio Dotel. Lidge's performance was so impressive that the Astros were able to deal Dotel in return for Carlos Beltran.
        After assuming the closer's role, Lidge was even better, posting a 1.41 ERA after the break, and then eight shutout innings against the Cardinals in the NLCS. Lidge was armed with a hard fastball and a devastating slider; he did a lot of the work himself, averaging 14.93 strikeouts per nine innings. He was one strikeout short of Eric Gagne's record rate of 14.98 K/9 from the year before.
        Strikeouts were plentiful in the National League in 2004, despite injuries to both Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, the Cubs power duo who were 1-2 in strikeouts the previous year. The Brewers' Ben Sheets announced that he had entered the upper echelon of power pitchers when struck out 18 Atlanta Braves in one game; he finished the season with 264 strikeouts, against only 32 walks.
        Also taking a big step forward was 22-year-old lefty Oliver Perez, who struck out 239 batters for the Pirates. Giants ace Jason Schmidt began the season on the disabled list with elbow trouble, and in September was dogged by a persistent groin injury. The months in between were wonderful, as he carried the Giants staff and struck out 251 batters. The Rocket, already with over 4000 strikeouts in his career, added another 218.
        But the strikeout king was, once again, the Big Unit. Randy Johnson led the league with 290 strikeouts, and also passed 4000 strikeouts in his career. He has struggled in 2003 with injuries to his knee and back; now, at age 40, he was back in top form. On May 18 he threw one of the greatest games in baseball history, a perfect game against the Braves in which he struck out 13 batters.
        Unfortunately for Johnson, his team, the Diamondbacks, were very bad. They lost 111 games, and gave little support for their ace starting pitcher. Johnson was second in the league in both innings pitched and ERA, but his record was only 16-14, thanks to lack of run support. But enough of the BBWAA writers recognized his great season that he was able to place second in the Cy Young vote, behind Clemens.
        They should have gone one step further. Clemens had a terrific year, and his selection was by no means terrible, but Randy Johnson was the best pitcher in the National League, and he is armed with the numbers to prove it. Compared to Clemens, Johnson had more starts, more innings, more strikeouts and a better ERA. Johnson allowed the fewest hits and fewest baserunners of any starter in the league, while finishing second in ERA and strikeouts per nine innings.
        Looking at some other numbers... Johnson led the league in Quality Starts, with 26, and in Tough Losses, with 11. He led the league with a 2.44 DIPS ERA, and a 1.83 Compenent ERA. His VORP of 69.3 again led the league. He also led the league with an Average Game Score of 64.8; his May 18th Game Score of 100 is, well, perfect. His home park, the BOB in Arizona, was one of the friendliest for hitters in the league.
        Clemens had the advantage of two wins and ten fewer losses, but that had more to do with run support than performance. My measure, I think that Johnson deserved the Cy Young Award. After Johnson, it's a close call between Clemens and Sheets. For the many of the stats listed above, Sheets ranks just behind Johnson; he had a losing record, 12-14, pitching with a Brewers team that offered anemic support.
        I'm taking Sheets in the second spot, followed closely by the Rocket, and then his teammate, Lidge.