Clayton Kershaw – 22nd hurlr to win a league MVP Award.
In Baseball we count everything, so – with Clayton Kershaw’s recent MVP recognition – it’s appropriate to note that Kershaw set a new mark for the fewest games appeared in by a league MVP at 27. The previous mark was 30 games – by the Yankees’ Spud Chandler in 1943. Like Kershaw, Chandler led his league in victories, earned run average, won/lost percentage and complete games. (Chandler also led in shutouts.)
As always, there was some controversy over a pitcher winning the MVP – particularly a pitcher that (due to injury) started only 27 games. There is however, plenty of precedence for a pitcher to be recognized as a league’s Most Valuable Player. Kershaw, in fact, is the twenty-second pitcher to capture a league Most Valuable Player Award (denoted at different times as the MVP Award, League Award or Chalmers Award). With Walter Johnson (1913, 1924), Carl Hubbell (1933, 1936) and Hal Newhouser (1944, 1945) each winning the MVP award twice, a total of 25 MVP Awards have gone pitchers.
A complete list of pitchers earning the MVP follows, but here’s a few tidbits of info about pitchers and MVP Awards.
- Of the 25 MVP awards won by pitchers, only four went to relievers: Jim Konstanty (Phillies, 1950); Rollie Fingers (Brewers, 1981); Willie Hernandez (Tigers, 1984); Dennis Eckersley (A’s, 1992).
- The MVP has been awarded to a pitcher in the AL fourteen times and the NL eleven.
- Sixteen of the twenty-five MVP winning seasons have been put up by right handers.
- Nine of the 22 pitchers with MVP Awards are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Wins seem the most critical factors in a pitcher’s ability to capture an MVP Award. Nineteen of the award-winning seasons saw the honored hurler leading the league in victories. Factor out the four MVP Awards that went to relievers and 90 percent of the “starter-winners” led their league in victories. Next was ERA leadership (16), followed by strikeouts and winning percentage (both at 11).
- The Tigers’ Hal Newhouser is the only pitcher to win consecutive MVP Awards (1944, 1945). His combined record for the two seasons was 54-18, with a 2.01 ERA, 54 complete games and fourteen shutouts. Over the two seasons, he appeared in 87 games (70 starts), pitched 625 2/3 innings and even threw in four saves.
- The MVP winners in both leagues were pitchers in two seasons: 1924 (Walter Johnson, Senators and Dazzy Vance, Dodgers) and 1968 (Denny McLain, Tigers and Bob Gibson, Cardinals).
- Pitchers captured at least one league MVP in four consecutive seasons from 1942-45.
- The fewest appearances (as noted earlier) by a pitcher MVP winner is 27 (Clayton Kershaw, 2014). The most is 80 (The Tigers’ Willie Hernandez, 1984).
Pitchers winning the BBWAA MVP Award (presented 1931-present)
*Denotes relief pitcher
2014 – Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Dodgers
21-3/1.77 ERA … Led NL in wins (21), ERA (1.77), W/L percentage (.875), complete games (6).
2011 – Justin Verlander, RHP, Tigers
24-5/2.40 ERA … Led AL in wins (24), W/L percentage (.828), ERA (2.40), games started (34), innings pitched (251), strikeouts (250).
1992 – Dennis Eckersley, RHP*, Athletics
7-1/51 saves/1.91 ERA … Led AL in saves (51). Allowed six walks versus 93 strikeouts in 80 innings.
1986 – Roger Clemens, RHP, Red Sox
24-4/2.48 ERA …. Led AL in wins (24), W/L percentage (.857), ERA (2.48).
1984 – Willie Hernandez, RHP*, Tigers
9-3/32 saves/1.92 ERA … Led AL in games pitched (80). Allowed eight walks versus 112 strikeouts in 140 1/3 innings.
1981 – Rollie Fingers, RHP*, Brewers
6-3/28 saves/1.04 ERA … Led AL in saves (28). Allowed five walks versus 61 strikeouts in 78 innings.
1971 – Vida Blue, LHP, Athletics
24-8/1.82 ERA … Led AL in ERA (1.82), shutouts (8).
1968
Denny McLain, RHP, Tigers
31-6, 1.96 ERA … Led AL in wins (31), starts (41), complete games (28), innings pitched (336).
Bob Gibson, RHP, Cardinals
22-9/1.12 ERA … Led NL in ERA (1.12), shutouts (13), strikeouts 268.
1963 – Sandy Koufax, LHP, Dodgers
25-5/1.88 ERA … Led NL in wins (25), ERA (1.88), shutouts (11), strikeouts (306).
1956 – Don Newcombe, RHP, Dodgers
27-7/3.06 … Led NL in wins (27), W/L percentage (.794).
1952 – Bobby Shantz, LHP, Athletics
24-7/2.48 ERA … Led AL in wins (24), W/L percentage (.774).
1950 – Jim Konstanty, RHP*, Phillies
16-7/2.66 ERA … Led NL in games (74), saves (22).
1945 – Hal Newhouser, LHP, Tigers
25-9/1.81 ERA … Led AL in wins (25), ERA (1.81), starts (36), complete games (29) shutouts (8), innings pitched 313 1/3, strikeouts (212).
1944 – Hal Newhouser, LHP, Tigers
29-9/2.22 ERA … Led AL in wins (29), strikeouts (187).
1943 – Spud Chandler, RHP, Yankees
20-4/1.64 ERA … Led AL in wins (20), W/L percentage (.833), ERA (1.64), complete games (20), shutouts (5).
1942 – Mort Cooper, RHP, Cardinals
22-7/1.78 ERA … Led NL in wins (22), ERA (1.78), shutouts (10).
1939 – Bucky Walters, RHP, Reds
27-11/2.29 ERA … Led NL in wins (27), ERA (2.29), starts (36), complete games (31), innings pitched (319), strikeouts (137).
1936 – Carl Hubbell, LHP, Giants
26-6/2.31 ERA … Led NL in wins (26), ERA (2.31), W/L percentage (.813).
1934 – Dizzy Dean, RHP, Cardinals
30-7/2.66 ERA… Led the NL in wins (30), W/L percentage (.811), strikeouts (195).
1933 – Carl Hubbell, LHP, Giants
23-12/1.66 ERA … Led the NL in wins (23), ERA (1.66), shutouts (10), innings pitched (308 2/3).
1931 – Lefty Grove, LHP, Athletics
31-4/2.06 ERA … Led AL in wins (31), ERA (2.06), W/L percentage (.886), complete games (27), shutouts (4), strikeouts (175).
League Award (presented 1922-29)
1924
Dazzy Vance, RHP, Dodgers
28-6/2.16 ERA … Led NL in (wins 28), ERA (2.16), complete games (30), strikeouts (262).
Walter Johnson, RHP, Senators
23-7/2.72 ERA … Led AL in wins (23), ERA (2.72), W/L percentage (.767), starts (38), shutouts (6), strikeouts (158).
Chalmers Award (presented1911-14)
1913 – Walter Johnson, RHP, Senators
36-7/1.14 ERA … Led the AL in wins (36), ERA (1.14), W/L percentage (.837), complete games (29), shutouts (11), innings pitched (346), strikeouts (243).
