Cy Young Award Also Unanimous for Both Leagues? NL Sale-AL Scoobull Chances Triple Crown Duo After Kershaw-Verlander In 2011

Sep 24, 2024

Cy Young Award Also Unanimous for Both Leagues? NL Sale-AL Scoobull Chances Triple Crown Duo After Kershaw-Verlander In 2011
Atlanta Braves Chris Sale is spraying the ball vigorously against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 15th (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News



Cy Young Award Also Unanimous for Both Leagues? NL Sale-AL Scoobull Chances Triple Crown Duo After Kershaw-Verlander In 2011
Detroit Tigers Tarik Skubal is throwing the ball vigorously against the Oakland Athletics on the 7th (Korea time). ImagesYonhap News
The representative pitcher who made a comeback this season is definitely Atlanta Braves Chris Sale. At the end of the season, Sale is likely to win so-called triple crown titles such as multiple wins in the National League, ERA, and strikeouts.

As of the 24th (Korea Standard Time), Sale is 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts, and he is ranked first in both leagues as well as NL in detailed documents. Once notorious for being the worst major league 'eat and run', he was able to revive this year because he regained his health.

He started 29 games and made 18 quality starts, threw 177 ⅔ innings, recording a WHIP 1.01, a 0.216 hit rate, and an average of 11.40 strikeouts and 1.98 walks in nine innings. In addition, among the 101 pitchers who threw more than 120 innings, nine homers were the least.



The basis of his excellent strikeout ability is his control of the awl and his fastball in the mid-90s and slider, his main weapon. This season's fastball speed averaged 98.8 miles and 94.8 miles. The average speed is the same as in 2017, when he enjoyed his prime with 17 wins and a 2.90 ERA. For this reason, it is safe to say that he has confirmed his first Cy Young Award in 15 years since his debut.

The most important item in the Cy Young Award evaluation standard these days is the ERA, and if it wins the triple crown, it is highly likely to win the award with a unanimous opinion.



Cy Young Award Also Unanimous for Both Leagues? NL Sale-AL Scoobull Chances Triple Crown Duo After Kershaw-Verlander In 2011
Atlanta Braves Chris Sale. AFP Yonhap News
Sale signed a five-year, $145 million extension in March 2019 when he was with the Boston Red Sox, but immediately after the game against the Cleveland Guardians on August 14, 2019, he entered a long 'rehabilitation tunnel' complaining of left elbow pain. After receiving Tommy John Surgery in March 2020, he returned in August 2021 after a year and five months of rehabilitation, but he was again on the injured list (IL) and pitched only nine games. In 2022, he had another season on the IL with a right rib stress fracture, returned briefly in July, threw two games, and ended the season with a fractured left pinky finger.

Last year, he was on the IL in early June due to a left shoulder injury, then took about two months off and returned on Aug. 12. However, he threw 102 ⅔ innings in 20 games last year, showing a 4.30 ERA, indicating a possibility of a comeback, and eventually got to wear an Atlanta uniform through a trade at the end of last year.



Sale signed a two-year, $38 million extension with Atlanta in January and placed an $18 million club option in 2026. He started as the third starter this season and has never been on the IL.

The American League Cy Young Award is also expected to be decided unanimously. Detroit Tigers Tarik Skubal Looking Into Triple Crown Like Sale. As of today, he is 17-4 with a 2.48 ERA and 221 strikeouts. Scubal made his major league debut in 2020 and never filled the regular innings until last year.

Cy Young Award Also Unanimous for Both Leagues? NL Sale-AL Scoobull Chances Triple Crown Duo After Kershaw-Verlander In 2011
Detroit Tigers Tarik Scubal. ImagesYonhap News
Like Sale, Scubal didn't play its part in time because of injuries. He joined Detroit as the 255th overall pick in the ninth round of the 2018 draft and made his major league debut in 2020. He was a full-time starter in 2021 and confirmed the possibility with 8 wins and 12 losses and a 4.34 ERA, but he ended the season with left-arm fatigue syndrome in August 2022 and returned in July last year after nearly a year of rehabilitation.

He started 30 games this season and posted 21 quality starts, and pitched 185 innings with a WHIP of 0.94 and a hit rate of 0.205. In particular, with an average of 10.75 strikeouts and 1.65 walks in nine innings, solid control also became the driving force behind his rise to ace. The strength of the scooped is its fastball, which exceeds 100 miles. It showed a maximum of 101.7 miles this season and an average of 96.9 miles.

There have been three times in the history of triple crown pitchers in both leagues at the same time. Clayton Kershaw - Justin Verlander in 2011, Walter Johnson - Darge Vance in 1924, and Walter Johnson - Hippoborne in 1918. In 2011, both Kershaw and Verlander won the Cy Young Award. Verlander was unanimous at the time.

It remains to be seen whether the Sale-Scoobal duo will win the triple crown in both leagues and become the first unanimous Cy Young duo of all time. Sale has one start and Scoobull has up to two starts left.

LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees Aaron Judge are also aiming for the unanimous MVP of both leagues, and the possibility cannot be ruled out that all of the best players in pitching will be unanimously selected.



jhno@sportschosun.com