In July 2003, Chris Carpenter returned to Bedford, New Hampshire, a broken man. He had not seen his infant son in a month. He had not made it out of the fourth inning in a minor league start in Knoxville, Tennessee. His surgically repaired throwing shoulder was not repaired at all.
"I told my wife I didn't want to do it anymore," Carpenter said Thursday. "I wanted to come home."
Carpenter and his wife, Alyson, stayed up until 3am talking. Carpenter was only 28, with six years of major league experience. His wife told him he would regret it if he did not give it one last shot.
Carpenter, a right-hander, listened. He had another shoulder operation, worked his way into the St. Louis Cardinals' rotation and blossomed from a 15-game winner in 2004, when he was named the National League's Comeback Player of the Year, to the NL's Cy Young award winner this season.
"A few years ago, I never thought I was going to play again," Carpenter said. "And I go from coming back and winning the comeback player to winning the Cy Young the year after that. It's a crazy feeling."
Carpenter won the Cy Young in a close race with Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins.
All 32 voters from the Baseball Writers' Association of America listed Carpenter and Willis on their ballots. Carpenter had 19 votes for first place, 12 for second place and one for third. Willis had 11 votes for first place, 18 for second and three for third. Based on the 5-3-1 scoring system, Carpenter defeated Willis, 132-112.
Roger Clemens of Houston -- who had two votes for first, two for second and 24 for third -- was third with 40 points.
It was a tricky year for the voters, who had two candidates -- Carpenter and Willis -- with strikingly similar numbers and a third, Clemens, who probably pitched the best.
Clemens had a 1.87 earned run average, the best of his 22-year career. But his record was just 13-8, largely because the Astros were shut out in nine of his starts, including five losses by 1-0.
Clemens, 43, has not decided whether he will retire, according to his agent, Randy Hendricks. "It is clear he needs time off to get better physically," Hendricks said in an e-mail message, adding that pitching in September and October "took a lot out of him because of the physical problems he endured."
Carpenter won despite having fewer victories and a higher ERA than Willis. Carpenter was 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA, and Willis was 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA. But Carpenter had more innings (241 2/3 to 236 1/3) and strikeouts (213 to 170) than Willis.
In one stretch this season, the Cardinals won 17 consecutive games that Carpenter started. He seemed to seize the momentum in the Cy Young race by midseason, receiving the start in the All-Star Game from his manager, Tony La Russa.
His numbers were superior to Willis' until the final month. Entering September, Carpenter was 19-4 with a 2.29 ERA, and Willis was 18-8 with a 2.61 ERA.
Carpenter became the first Cardinals pitcher to win the Cy Young Award since Bob Gibson in 1970, and the first native of New Hampshire to win it since Mike Flanagan of the Baltimore Orioles in 1979.
"There's not a lot of people that come from this area or this state and play in the big leagues, never mind win a Cy Young award," Carpenter said. "To be a part of this whole situation is unbelievable. I can't believe I won."
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