Rookie of the Year: Gil McDougald, 1951

Third Baseman/Second Baseman, New York Yankees

Age:  23 (May 19)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 175 

Prior to 1951:

A San Francisco native, McDougald was an All-City basketball player at Commerce High School and didn’t make the school’s varsity baseball team until he was a senior, when injuries derailed his season. Following graduation in 1946, he attended the City College of San Francisco and the University of San Francisco while playing semipro baseball with the Bayside Braves. With an odd batting stance that put off many scouts (despite being effective), the Yankees signed him at $200 per month with a $1000 bonus in 1948. Starting off with Twin Falls of the Class C Pioneer League, the recently married 20-year-old batted .340 in 101 games and was selected as the league’s all-star second baseman. Promoted to the Victoria Athletics of the Class B Western International League in 1949, he hit .344 with 44 doubles, 7 triples, 13 home runs, and 116 RBIs and was again a league all-star. In 1950 he moved up to the Beaumont Roughnecks of the Class AA Texas League where he came under the guidance of curmudgeonly Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby, who managed the club. He had an MVP season with Beaumont, batting.336 with a league-leading 187 hits, 47 of them for extra bases, and he was also impressive in the field. With the Yankees having lost some infielders to military service due to the Korean War, manager Casey Stengel installed McDougald at third base in 1951.

1951 Season Summary

Appeared in 131 games

3B – 83, 2B – 54, PH – 8, PR – 6

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 473

At Bats – 402

Runs – 72

Hits – 123

Doubles – 23

Triples – 4

Home Runs – 14 [15]

RBI – 63

Bases on Balls – 56

Int. BB – 1

Strikeouts – 54 [16, tied with Eddie Robinson]

Stolen Bases – 14 [4, tied with Chico Carrasquel & Bobby Avila]

Caught Stealing – 5 [20, tied with five others]

Average - .306 [Non-qualifying]

OBP - .396 [Non-qualifying]

Slugging Pct. - .488 [Non-qualifying]

Total Bases – 196

GDP – 12

Hit by Pitches – 4 [12, tied with eight others]

Sac Hits – 11 [7, tied with four others]

Sac Flies – N/A

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 11, HR - 5, RBI - 21, AVG - .296, OBP - .388, SLG - .508

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) at Bos. Red Sox 5/28

Longest hitting streak – 11 games

Most HR, game – 1 on fourteen occasions

HR at home – 7

HR on road – 7

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 6 at St. Louis Browns 5/3

Pinch-hitting/running – 0 for 7 (.000) with 1 R & 1 BB

 

Fielding (3B)

Chances – 175

Put Outs – 54

Assists – 112

Errors – 9

DP - 20

Pct. - .949

Postseason Batting: 6 G (World Series vs. NY Giants)

PA – 25, AB – 23, R – 2, H – 6, 2B – 1,3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 7, BB – 2, IBB – 0, SO – 2, SB – 0, CS – 1, AVG - .261, OBP - .320, SLG -.435, TB – 10, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – N/A

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

9^th in AL MVP voting (63 points, 19% share)

AL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Gil McDougald, NYY: 13 of 24 votes, 54% share

Minnie Minoso, Clev./ChiWS.: 11 votes, 46% share

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Yankees went 98-56 to win the AL pennant by 5 games over the Cleveland Indians while leading the league in home runs (140) and slugging (.408). The Yankees battled Cleveland until clinching the pennant on RHP Allie Reynolds’ second no-hitter of the season. Won World Series over the New York Giants, 4 games to 2 for their third straight title, with McDougald hitting a grand slam in Game 1 as part of his 7 RBIs over the six games. 

Aftermath of ‘51:

McDougald followed up with his first All-Star season in 1952, batting .263 with 11 home runs and 78 RBIs. He added a home run in the World Series victory over Brooklyn. In 1953 his average rebounded to .285 with 27 doubles, 7 triples, 10 home runs, and 83 RBIs. He hit two more homers in the six-game World Series win against the Dodgers. Following two seasons in which he played almost exclusively at third base, he split his time between second and third in 1954. A slow start at the plate pulled his production down to .259 with 22 doubles, 12 home runs, and 48 RBIs. Primarily appearing at second base, where he was outstanding defensively, in 1955, McDougald batted .285 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs as the Yankees returned to pennant-winning form. Shifted to shortstop for the most part in 1956, he was an All-Star who hit .311 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs, placing seventh in league MVP voting. In Game 5 of the World Series against Brooklyn, he made an outstanding play on a line drive that was deflected off the glove of third baseman Andy Carey to throw out batter Jackie Robinson and thus preserve RHP Don Larsen’s perfect game. In 1957 an event occurred that left a lasting impact on McDougald when a line drive off of his bat struck Cleveland’s star LHP Herb Score in the head, resulting in significant injury. McDougald expressed his regret over the incident, which ultimately derailed Score’s promising career. Not yet knowing how things would play out at that point, he went on to another All-Star season, batting .289 and tying for the league lead in triples (9) while also hitting 13 home runs with 62 RBIs. He played at shortstop and second and third base with aplomb as manager Casey Stengel juggled his lineup throughout the season and was credited for his versatility in the field as well as his rally-starting ability as a batter. He placed fifth in AL MVP voting. His hitting dropped off in 1958 to .250 with 14 home runs and 65 RBIs and he primarily played at second base due to the rise of young Tony Kubek at shortstop. In a down 1959 season for the Yankees, McDougald hit .251 and split his time between third, second, and short. He played one more season in 1960, playing primarily at third and occasionally second while batting .258 with 8 home runs and 34 RBIs. He turned down an offer to play for the expansion Los Angeles Angels and retired. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Yankees, McDougald batted .276 with 1291 hits that included 187 doubles, 51 triples, and 112 home runs. He scored 697 runs and compiled 576 RBIs and a .356 on-base percentage. He appeared in 53 World Series games and hit .237 with 7 home runs and 24 RBIs. The quiet man of good character became involved in community service and coached baseball at Fordham University. He remained deeply affected by the injury that his batted ball inflicted on Herb Score. Struggling with deafness in later years, he died in 2010 at age 82. 

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.  

MVP Profile: Rod Carew, 1977

First Baseman, Minnesota Twins

Age:  31

11^th season with Twins

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 170 

Prior to 1977:

A native of Panama, Carew started out playing Little League baseball in his hometown of Gamboa. He moved with his mother to New York and played sandlot baseball, where he drew attention for his hitting ability. Following graduation from high school in 1964 Carew signed with the Twins for $400 per month plus a $5000 bonus. He was initially assigned to the Cocoa Rookie League in Florida where he batted .325 in 37 games. In 1965 he moved on to Orlando of the Class A Florida State League where he hit .303 with 20 doubles, 8 triples, 1 home run, 52 RBIs, and 52 stolen bases. Carew was with Wilson of the Class A Carolina League in 1966 where he batted .292 and stole 28 bases. In the spring of 1967, the Twins made the determination that he was ready to make the leap from Class A to the parent club and installed him as the starting second baseman. The Twins started slowly, but following a managerial change, they became part of a wild four-team pennant race that ultimately was won by the Red Sox. Carew started at second base for the American League in the All-Star Game and went on to bat .292 and was named AL Rookie of the Year. He followed up in 1968 by hitting .273 and again started for the AL at second base in the All-Star Game. With manager Billy Martin advocating aggressive base-running in 1969, Carew stole home a total of 7 times (among his stolen base total of 19), coming within one of Ty Cobb’s league record, and won his first AL batting title with a .332 average as well as hitting 30 doubles and 8 home runs. Once more an All-Star, Carew also placed tenth in league MVP voting with the division-winning Twins. An intelligent player and bat control specialist who hit to all fields, Carew suffered a broken leg midway through the 1970 season that required surgery and limited him to 51 games, during which he batted .366. He continued to be a consistent .300 hitter and All-Star and won four straight AL batting titles from 1972 to ’75. Not a bad fielder at second base, but not outstanding either, he was given a brief trial at first base in 1975 that became a permanent position change in ’76.

1977 Season Summary

Appeared in 155 games

1B – 151, PH – 7, 2B – 4, DH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 694 [6]

At Bats – 616 [7]

Runs – 128 [1]

Hits – 239 [1]

Doubles – 38 [3, tied with Chet Lemon]

Triples – 16 [1]

Home Runs – 14

RBI – 100 [13, tied with Thurman Munson]

Bases on Balls – 69 [19]

Int. BB – 15 [1]

Strikeouts – 55

Stolen Bases – 23 [16, tied with Amos Otis & Frank White]

Caught Stealing – 13 [12, tied with Freddie Patek & Bill North]

Average - .388 [1]

OBP - .449 [1]

Slugging Pct. - .570 [2]

Total Bases – 351 [2]

GDP – 6

Hit by Pitches – 3

Sac Hits – 1

Sac Flies – 5

League-leading runs scored were +22 ahead of runner-up Carlton Fisk

League-leading hits were +27 ahead of runner-up Ron LeFlore

League-leading triples were +1 ahead of runner-up Jim Rice

League-leading int. bases on balls were +2 ahead of runner-up Ken Singleton

League-leading batting average was +.052 ahead of runner-up Lyman Bostock

League-leading OBP was +.011 ahead of runner-up Ken Singleton

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 20, 3B – 14, HR - 6, RBI – 58, AVG. - .394, OBP – .463, SLG - .586

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Most hits, game – 5 (in 6 AB) at Boston 5/25

Longest hitting streak – 15 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 4 AB) vs. NY Yankees 9/3

HR at home – 8

HR on road – 6

Multi-HR games – 1

Most RBIs, game – 6 vs. Chi. White Sox 6/26

Pinch-hitting – 3 for 6 (.500) with 2 R, 3 RBI & 1 BB

Fielding

Chances – 1590

Put Outs – 1459

Assists – 121

Errors – 10

DP – 161

Pct. - .994

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

Roberto Clemente Award: MLB

All-Star (Started for AL at 1B)

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Rod Carew, Min.: 273 points - 12 of 28 first place votes, 70% share

Al Cowens, KCR: 217 points – 4 first place votes, 55% share

Ken Singleton, Balt.: 200 points – 3 first place votes, 51% share

Jim Rice, Bos.: 163 points – 1 first place vote, 42% share

Graig Nettles, NYY: 112 points – 2 first place votes, 29% share

(1 first place vote apiece for Sparky Lyle, NYY., who ranked sixth, Thurman Munson, NYY, who ranked seventh, Carlton Fisk, Bos. who ranked eighth, Reggie Jackson, NYY, who also ranked eighth, Larry Hisle, Min., who ranked 12^th & Carl Yastrzemski, Bos., who ranked 17^th)

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Twins went 84-77 to finish fourth in the AL Western Division, 17.5 games behind the division-winning Kansas City Royals, while leading the league in runs scored (867), hits (1588), batting (.282), and OBP (.348). The surprising Twins were 29-17 by the end of May and led the AL West for 51 days. Fueled by the hitting of Carew and outfielders Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle, Minnesota stayed in contention until a September collapse dropped the club into fourth.

Aftermath of ‘77:

Carew won another batting championship in 1978 with a .333 average and further led the AL with a .411 OBP and 19 intentional walks. With a year left on his contract and the likelihood that he would be lost to free agency, the Twins traded Carew to the California Angels in 1979. In seven seasons with the Angels, he continued to be a productive hitter while playing first base. He batted .314 over that span, with a high of .339 in 1983, and was a six-time All-Star. California won two AL West titles, in 1979 and ’82. Carew retired following the 1985 season. Overall, he batted .328 with 3053 hits that included 445 doubles, 112 triples, and 92 home runs. He also accumulated 1015 RBIs and 353 stolen bases (17 of which were steals of home). With the Twins he hit .334 with 2085 hits, including 305 doubles, 90 triples, and 74 home runs, to go with 733 RBIs and 271 stolen bases. Appearing in 14 postseason games, he hit .220 with a .291 on-base percentage. He was an All-Star selection 18 times (12 with the Twins). Carew was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991 and both the Twins and Angels retired his #29.

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player. 

Cy Young Profile: Mike Marshall, 1974

Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age:  31

1^st season with Dodgers

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’10” Weight: 180 

Prior to 1974:

A native of Adrian, Michigan, Marshall suffered a back injury at age 11 when a car he was riding in was hit by a train. He pitched in high school and while playing sandlot baseball but following his high school graduation in 1960 he was signed for a $20,000 bonus by the Philadelphia Phillies as a shortstop. The bonus went to finance his education at Michigan State University. As an 18-year-old with Dothan of the Class D Alabama-Florida League in 1961, he batted a respectable .264 with 15 doubles, 7 home runs, and 51 RBIs in 118 games. But he had difficulty with fielding due to his chronic back problem and committed 53 errors. Moving up to the Bakersfield Bears of the Class C California League in 1962, he again hit well at .282 but totaled 68 errors and a mediocre .896 fielding percentage. The next two seasons were more of the same as he could hit and steal the occasional base while committing lots of errors in the field. Believing that pitching would put less stress on his back, he sought to make a position change that the Phillies questioned. With Chattanooga of the Class AA Southern League in 1965, he saw his first professional action as a pitcher and went 2-4 in eight appearances with a 3.12 ERA. Moving to Eugene of the Class A Northwest League later in the season, he pitched in 36 games and produced a 6-5 record with a 3.51 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 59 innings. Sold to the Detroit Tigers in 1966, Marshall was assigned to the Montgomery Rebels of the Southern League and made a deal with manager Wayne Blackburn to play at shortstop for the first month and then pitch out of the bullpen the second month to determine Marshall’s most promising path forward. Despite the fact that he was hitting well toward the end of his month at short, Blackburn gave Marshall his turn at relief pitching and over the course of 51 appearances he turned in an 11-7 tally with a 2.33 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 108 innings. Advancing to the Toledo Mud Hens of the Class AAA International League in 1967, Marshall was called up to the Tigers in May and pitched well out of the bullpen as Detroit contended with three other teams in a hot AL pennant race. He appeared in 37 games and posted a 1-3 record with 10 saves, a 1.98 ERA, and 41 strikeouts in 59 innings with only three blown saves. Two of the blown saves came in key late-season games against the White Sox, which soured manager Mayo Smith on him. Marshall was sent back to Toledo in 1968 where he began to develop a screwball to go along with his fastball and slider. He started in 28 of his 31 appearances and compiled a 15-9 record with a 2.94 ERA and 190 strikeouts. By this point he had also earned his master’s degree in exercise physiology from Michigan State (his master’s thesis title was “An Investigation of the Association between Sexual Maturation and Physical Growth and Motor Proficiency in Males”) and was continuing with his doctoral studies which caused him to develop his own training methods and pitching philosophy apart from what his coaches and managers advised. Moving on to the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969, Marshall was used primarily as a starting pitcher and went 3-10 with a 5.13 ERA and was criticized for his unconventional pick-off move, in which he threw following a clockwise turn (considered to be a “wrong” turn). It may have been the “wrong” move to his manager, but it proved to be effective. Sold to the Houston Astros in the offseason, he ran afoul of manager Harry Walker for continuing to throw the screwball and was back in the minors for a time before being traded to the Montreal Expos midway through the 1970 season. Marshall pitched in 24 major league games for Montreal and was 3-7 with three saves and a 3.48 ERA. Handed the closer role in the bullpen in 1971, he started well, endured a slump, and finished up as one of the better short relievers in the NL with a 5-8 tally, 23 saves, 4.28 ERA, and 85 strikeouts in 66 appearances. 1972 was better, as he led the league with 65 appearances, that produced a 14-8 record, 18 saves, 1.78 ERA, and 95 strikeouts. In 1973 Marshall led the NL once again in games pitched (a then-record 92) as well as saves (31) while producing a 14-11 tally with a 2.66 ERA and 124 strikeouts. He placed second in NL Cy Young voting. Having gained a reputation as an eccentric player who disdained hero worship and refused to sign autographs as well as being perceived as intellectually arrogant, his conditioning methods had made him into a tireless reliever who was also highly effective. In the offseason, the Expos traded him to the Dodgers for veteran outfielder Willie Davis. Marshall assured Dodger manager Walt Alston that he could pitch as often as Alston wanted to use him unless he indicated he wasn’t able to go.

1974 Season Summary

Appeared in 106 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 106 [1] (Set MLB record)

Games Started – 0

Complete Games – 0

Wins – 15 [12, tied with four others]

Losses – 12 [19, tied with six others]

PCT - .556

Saves – 21 [1]

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 208.1

Hits – 191

Runs – 66

Earned Runs – 56

Home Runs – 9

Bases on Balls – 56

Strikeouts – 143 [16]

ERA – 2.42 [4]

Hit Batters – 1

Balks – 3 [5, tied with thirteen others]

Wild Pitches – 5

League-leading games pitched were +30 ahead of runner-up Larry Hardy

League-leading saves were +6 ahead of runner-up Randy Moffitt

Midseason Snapshot: 11-4, ERA - 2.31, G – 66, SV – 13, SO – 86 in 121 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 5 (in 3 IP) vs. NY Mets 7/14, (in 6 IP) at Chi. Cubs 8/19

 

10+ strikeout games – 0

Batting

PA – 36, AB – 34, R – 2, H – 8, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 0, SO – 3, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .235, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 2, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 44

Put Outs – 9

Assists – 33

Errors – 2

DP – 4

Pct. - .955

Postseason Pitching: G – 7 (NLCS vs. Pittsburgh – 2 G; World Series vs. Oakland – 5 G

GS – 0, CG – 0, Record – 0-1, PCT – .000, SV – 1, ShO – 0, IP – 12, H – 6, R – 1, ER – 1, HR – 1, BB – 1, SO – 11, ERA – 0.75, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star

3^rd in NL MVP voting (146 points, 1 first place vote, 43% share)

NL Cy Young voting (Top 5):

Mike Marshall, LAD: 96 points – 17 of 24 first place votes, 80% share

Andy Messersmith, LAD: 66 points – 5 first place votes, 55% share

Phil Niekro, Atl.: 15 points – 1 first place vote, 13% share

Don Sutton, LAD: 12 points – 1 first place vote, 10% share

Al Hrabosky, StL: 9 points – 8% share

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Dodgers went 102-60 to finish first in the NL Western Division by 4 games over the Cincinnati Reds. The pitching staff led the league in ERA (2.97) and strikeouts (943). Marshall started off by pitching on five straight days to begin the season and compiled a record 13-game streak on his way to setting a record for pitching appearances, although he blew 12 save opportunities. The Dodgers were up by 10.5 games on July 10 and held off the Reds the rest of the way to secure the NL West title. Won NLCS over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3 games to 1, helped by 1B Steve Garvey’s four-hit, two-home run performance in Game 4. Lost World Series to the Oakland Athletics, 4 games to 1, with Marshall giving up a game-winning home run in relief in the decisive Game 5.

Aftermath of ‘74:

Having received a $100,000 contract a rib injury disabled Marshall for 10 weeks in 1975, and while once again an All-Star, he slipped to 58 appearances and a 9-14 record with 13 saves and a 3.29 ERA. Unpopular with many sportswriters and others connected with baseball for his seeming arrogance as when he declared “I know more about pitching than anyone in the game or anyone who’s played the game”, he had few sympathizers as his fortunes took a downturn. In the offseason he became involved in a legal battle at Michigan State over his unwillingness to follow university guidelines on reserving space in the intramural center for his training program. The Dodgers dealt him to Atlanta during the 1976 season after he had lost his closer role in the bullpen to knuckleballing RHP Charlie Hough. Knee surgery brought an early end to his season, and he finished with a combined record of 6-4 in 54 appearances with 14 saves and a 3.99 ERA. Following a run-in with manager Dave Bristol in 1977, Marshall was sold to the Texas Rangers who had him start four games, but knee trouble ended his season in June. Heading into 1978 as a free agent at age 35 and on the verge of receiving his Ph.D., Marshall indicated that he was ready to retire, although he maintained his workout routine. Gene Mauch, his former Montreal manager, was now with Minnesota and invited him to work out for the Twins. He joined them in mid-May and went on to pitch out of the bullpen in 54 games, producing a 10-12 record with 21 saves and a 2.45 ERA. “Iron Mike” followed up with an excellent season in 1979, setting an American League record with 90 appearances and leading the league with 32 saves. He also had a 2.65 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 142.2 innings pitched and placed fifth in league Cy Young voting. Marshall ran afoul of Twins management in 1980 due to his work as the team’s player rep and Mauch consigned him to mop-up duty. With his performance tailing off, he was let go and was unable to catch on with another team until he was signed by the New York Mets in 1981 following the players’ strike. Appearing in 20 games he went 3-2 with a 2.61 ERA. Released after the season, Marshall was finished as a major league reliever. He appeared in one game with Edmonton of the Pacific Coast League in 1983 and went on to pitch in sandlot leagues until he was 56. For his major league career, he pitched in 724 games with a 97-112 record, 188 saves, a 3.14 ERA, and 880 strikeouts in 1386.2 innings pitched. Appearing in 7 postseason games, all in 1974, he was 0-1 with a save and 11 strikeouts in 12 innings. He led the NL or AL in saves a total of three times and was a two-time All-Star. With the Dodgers he was 28-29 with 42 saves, a 3.01 ERA, and 246 strikeouts in 380.1 innings. An outcast from organized baseball, Marshall died in 2021 at age 78.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.  

Cy Young Profile: Max Scherzer, 2013

Pitcher, Detroit Tigers

Age:  29 (July 27)

4^th season with Tigers

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 210 

Prior to 2013:

A Missouri native, Scherzer starred at Parkway Central High School, where he received all-conference recognition as a pitcher and outfielder and was the team’s co-captain as a senior. Selected by the hometown St. Louis Cardinals in the 2003 amateur draft, Scherzer chose to attend the University of Missouri instead of turning professional. As a sophomore in 2005, he led the Big 12 Conference in ERA (1.86) and strikeouts (131). He also was part of a combined no-hitter against Texas Tech on April 1 and was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. Drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, Scherzer signed and was assigned to the Visalia Oaks of the advanced Class A California League in 2007 where he went 2-0 with an 0.53 ERA before being promoted to the Mobile BayBears of the Class AA Southern League where he posted a 4-4 record with a 4.64 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 73.2 innings pitched. Advancing to the Tucson Sidewinders of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 2008, he was 1-1 with a 2.72 ERA when he was called up by the Diamondbacks in late April. Scherzer got off to an impressive major league start where in a relief outing against Houston, he was perfect for 4.1 innings, retiring all 13 batters that he faced, striking out 7. He ended up appearing in 16 games, 7 of them starts, and while producing only an 0-4 tally, he had a 3.05 ERA and 66 strikeouts over 56 innings. He was in Arizona’s starting rotation for all of 2009, going 9-11 for a last-place club with a 4.12 ERA and 174 strikeouts. In the offseason he was traded to the Tigers as part of a three-team deal and was 12-11 in 2010, with a 3.50 ERA and 184 strikeouts while accumulating 195.2 innings. Scherzer’s ERA rose to 4.43 in 2011, but he still produced a winning record of 15-9 for the division-winning Tigers along with 174 strikeouts. In his first taste of postseason action, he picked up a win against the Yankees in the ALDS but struggled against Texas in the ALCS, won by the Rangers. In 2012 Scherzer compiled a 16-7 tally with a 3.74 ERA and 231 strikeouts while pitching 187.2 innings. Detroit won the AL pennant and Scherzer picked up a win over the Yankees in the ALCS but could not prevent the Tigers from being swept by the Giants in the World Series. By 2013 “Mad Max” had established himself as a top-of-the-line starting power pitcher with command of a fastball, slider, and changeup.

2013 Season Summary

Appeared in 32 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 32

Games Started – 32 [12, tied with nine others]

Complete Games – 0

Wins – 21 [1]

Losses – 3

PCT - .875 [1]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 214.1 [5, tied with Chris Sale]

Hits – 152

Runs – 73

Earned Runs – 69

Home Runs – 18

Bases on Balls – 56

Strikeouts – 240 [2]

ERA – 2.90 [5]

Hit Batters – 4

Balks – 1 [11, tied with many others]

Wild Pitches – 6

League-leading wins were +3 ahead of runner-up Bartolo Colon

League-leading win pct was +.125 ahead of runner-up Bartolo Colon

Midseason Snapshot: 13-1, ERA – 3.19, SO – 152 in 129.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 12 (in 8 IP) at Seattle 4/17, (in 7 IP) vs. KC Royals 9/15

10+ strikeout games – 8

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 8 IP) at Cleveland 5/21, (in 7 IP) at Minnesota 9/25

Batting

PA – 3, AB – 3, R – 0, H – 1, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 1, BB – 0, SO – 0, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .333, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 41

Put Outs – 17

Assists – 21

Errors – 3

DP – 0

Pct. - .927

Postseason Pitching:

G – 4, (ALDS vs. Oakland – 2 G; ALCS vs. Boston – 2 G)

GS – 3, CG – 0, Record – 2-1, PCT – .667, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 22.1, H – 12, R – 7, ER – 7, HR – 1, BB – 11, SO – 34, ERA – 2.82, HB – 2, BLK – 0, WP – 2

Awards & Honors:

AL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

AL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star (Started for AL)

12^th in AL MVP voting (25 points, 6% share)

AL Cy Young voting (Top 5):

Max Scherzer, Det.: 203 pts. – 28 of 30 first place votes, 97% share

Yu Darvish, Tex.: 93 pts. – 44% share

Hisashi Iwakuma, Sea.: 73 pts. – 35% share

Anibal Sanchez, Det.: 46 pts. – 1 first place vote, 22% share

Chris Sale, ChiWS.: 44 pts. – 1 first place vote, 21% share

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Tigers went 93-69 to finish first in the AL Central Division by 1 game over the Cleveland Indians. The pitching staff led the league in strikeouts (1428). With outstanding hitting and starting pitching, the Tigers put together a 52-42 first half, but the club faded a bit in September, holding on to win the division by just one game. Won ALDS over the Oakland Athletics, 3 games to 2. Lost ALCS to the Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 2.

Aftermath of ‘13:

Following a somewhat slow start in 2014, Scherzer put together another outstanding season with an 18-5 record, 3.15 ERA, and 252 strikeouts. The Tigers again topped the AL Central but lost to Baltimore in the ALDS, with Scherzer losing the opening game. A free agent in the offseason, he signed with the Washington Nationals for seven years and $210 million. In June of 2015 he pitched a no-hitter against Pittsburgh in which he was perfect through 26 batters until hitting pinch-hitter Jose Tabata, who became the only baserunner for the Pirates before Scherzer picked up the final out. This followed a one-hit shutout at Milwaukee, giving him a stretch of just one hit and one walk allowed over the course of 18 innings, the best performance since Johnny Vander Meer of the Reds pitched back-to-back no-hitters in 1938. “Mad Max” pitched a second no-hitter in October against the New York Mets to cap a 14-12 record with a 2.79 ERA and 276 strikeouts. His impressive hurling continued in 2016 when he struck out a record-tying 20 batters in a complete game win against his former team, the Tigers on his way to a 20-7 tally and 2.96 ERA while leading the NL in innings pitched (228.1) and strikeouts (284). He was once again a Cy Young Award winner. The Nationals won the NL East but lost to the Dodgers in the NLDS. Scherzer followed up with another Cy Young-winning season in 2017 in which he compiled a 16-6 record with a 2.51 ERA and league-leading 268 strikeouts. Washington returned to the pinnacle of the NL East but fell to the Cubs in the NLDS, with Scherzer pitching very well in Game 3, won by Chicago after Scherzer was relieved, and he took the loss in relief in the decisive Game 5. The outstanding pitching continued in 2018 as Scherzer started out strong on his way to an 18-7 mark with a 2.53 ERA. In addition to leading the NL in wins, he also topped the circuit in innings pitched (220.2) and strikeouts (300). He finished second in league Cy Young voting. The slow-starting Nationals won the World Series in 2019 and Scherzer contributed an 11-7 record and 2.92 ERA with 243 strikeouts despite missing a month due to a back injury. He picked up three more wins in the postseason. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season he finished at 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. The subject of trade rumors in 2021, he got off to an 8-4 start before the reeling Nationals dealt him along with shortstop Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scherzer went 7-0 for LA to end up at a combined 15-4 with a 2.46 ERA and 236 strikeouts in 179.1 innings. He was 0-1 in the postseason as the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS before being eliminated. A free agent in the offseason, he signed with the New York Mets for three years and $130 million. For his major league career through 2021, Scherzer has produced a 190-97 record with a 3.16 ERA, 12 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 3020 strikeouts in 2536.2 innings. With the Tigers he was 82-35 with a 3.52 ERA, one complete game shutout, and 1081 strikeouts over the course of 1013 innings. Appearing in 26 postseason games, 21 of them starts, his record has been 7-6 with a 3.22 ERA and 160 strikeouts in 128.2 innings. An eight-time All-Star, he has finished in the top 5 in league Cy Young voting eight times, winning on three occasions. One physical oddity of Scherzer’s is that his right eye is blue and his left eye is brown.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.