Roy Halladay added another victory to an almost perfect season on Tuesday, unanimously winning the NL Cy Young Award and becoming the fifth pitcher to earn the honor in both leagues.
The Philadelphia ace was an easy choice after leading the league with 21 wins and topping the majors in innings pitched, shutouts and complete games.
Acquired by the Phillies from Toronto in December last year, and immediately given a US$60 million, three-year contract extension, Halladay did everything expected of him — and more.
Halladay threw a perfect game at Florida on May 29, firmly stamping this season as the “Year of the Pitcher,” then tossed a no-hitter game against Cincinnati in his playoff debut.
Halladay received all 32 first-place votes in results released by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Adam Wainwright of the St Louis Cardinals was second and Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies was third. San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum, who won the past two NL Cy Young awards, finished 11th.
Halladay went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA and 219 strikeouts in his first season in the NL. The 33-year-old right-hander pitched 250-and-two-thirds innings, nine complete games and four shutouts, living up to his billing for excellence and durability.
Voting for the award ended after the regular season. Three days later, Halladay completely over matched the Reds, the top-hitting team in the NL, in their playoff opener.
Halladay split a pair of matchups with Lincecum in the NL championship series. The Giants won in six games, blunting the Phillies’ bid to reach the World Series for the third straight year.
Halladay, nicknamed “Doc,” added this year’s award to the 2003 AL Cy Young he won with the Blue Jays. He joins Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and Gaylord Perry as the only pitchers to earn the award in both leagues.
Halladay arrived in Philadelphia amid much fanfare. The night of the trade, he received a standing ovation from nearly 20,000 fans when he was introduced in person at a Philadelphia 76ers game.
He was dominant in an -opening-day victory at Washington and won his first four decisions. The next month, he threw the 20th perfect game in major league history — only after he got pinch-hitter Ronny Paulino to hit a grounder for the final out did Halladay break into a big smile.
It was a rare show of emotion. Halladay is known for his focus and dedication to workouts, sometimes coming to training at 6am.
Halladay became the 13th pitcher to unanimously win the NL Cy Young, with Jake Peavy previously doing it in 2007. It has happened eight times in the AL, with Johan Santana last accomplishing the feat in 2006.
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