Cy Young Profile: Roger Clemens, 1991

Pitcher, Boston Red Sox

Age:  29 (Aug. 4)

8^th season with Red Sox

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 205 

Prior to 1991:

A native of Ohio who moved to Texas in high school, Clemens attended San Jacinto Junior College, which had a strong baseball program, before moving on to the University of Texas, passing up a contract offer from the New York Mets, who drafted him as an amateur in 1981. He was a power-pitching member of the Texas squad that won the 1983 College World Series before signing with the Red Sox, who made him a first-round draft pick that year. The highly driven Clemens climbed readily through Boston’s minor league system and joined the parent club in 1984. Somewhat unsteady as a rookie, Clemens compiled a 9-4 record with a 4.32 ERA and was shut down in September due to a tendon injury in his pitching arm. Several injuries marred his 1985 season that concluded with surgery on his right shoulder after posting a 7-5 record with 3.29 ERA in just 15 starts. “The Rocket” broke out with a dominating season in 1986 as he compiled a 24-4 record with an AL-leading 2.48 ERA. His 238 strikeouts included a single-game record 20 against Seattle. Clemens was the league MVP as well as Cy Young Award recipient. He spent ten more seasons with the Red Sox, often highlighted by controversy. He briefly walked out during spring training in 1987 over a contract dispute and overcame a slow 4-6 start to end up with another Cy Young Award-winning season, ultimately posting a 20-9 record with the fifth-place Red Sox. In 1988 he was an All-Star once again and compiled an 18-12 tally and topped the AL in complete games (18) and shutouts (7). Boston returned to the top of the AL East. Clemens led the AL in ERA in 1990 (1.93) to go along with a 21-6 mark and 209 strikeouts.

1991 Season Summary

Appeared in 35 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 35

Games Started – 35 [1, tied with five others]

Complete Games – 13 [2]

Wins – 18 [4, tied with Jack Morris, Jim Abbott & Chuck Finley]

Losses – 10

PCT - .643 [10]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 4 [1]

Innings Pitched – 271.1 [1]

Hits – 219 [12]

Runs – 93

Earned Runs – 79

Home Runs – 15

Bases on Balls – 65

Strikeouts – 241 [1]

ERA – 2.62 [1]

Hit Batters – 5

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 6

League-leading shutouts were +1 ahead of four runners-up

League-leading innings pitched were +17.2 ahead of runner-up Jack McDowell

League-leading strikeouts were +13 ahead of runner-up Randy Johnson

League-leading ERA was -0.03 lower than runner-up Tom Candiotti

Midseason Snapshot: 11-5, ERA - 2.22, SO - 123 in 133.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 11 (in 9 IP) vs. Cleveland 4/13

10+ strikeout games – 7

Fewest hits allowed, game – 2 (in 9 IP) at Detroit 9/10, (in 8 IP) at Oakland 6/8, (in 7 IP) at Chi. White Sox 7/17

Fielding

Chances – 62

Put Outs – 31

Assists – 30

Errors – 1

DP – 1

Pct. - .984 

Awards & Honors:

AL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

AL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star

10^th in AL MVP voting (57 points, 15% share)

AL Cy Young voting (Top 5):

Roger Clemens, BosRS.: 119 points – 21 of 28 first place votes, 85% share

Scott Erickson, Min.: 56 points – 3 first place votes, 40% share

Jim Abbott, Cal.: 26 points – 19% share

Jack Morris, Min.: 17 points – 3 first place votes, 12% share

Bryan Harvey, Cal.: 10 points – 7% share

(1 first place vote cast for Kevin Tapani, Min., who finished seventh)

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Red Sox went 84-78 to finish tied for second with the Detroit Tigers in the AL Eastern Division, 7 games behind the division-winning Toronto Blue Jays. Following back-to-back 11-16 records in June and July, the Red Sox caught fire and won 31 of 41 games from August 9 to Sept. 21 to move from 10 games behind the division-leading Blue Jays to a half-game out. They then lost 11 of their last 14 games to end up in a second-place tie.

Aftermath of ‘91:

Clemens led the AL with a 2.41 ERA in 1992, his third straight ERA title, while also compiling an 18-11 record and 5 shutouts with 208 strikeouts. His performance slipped thereafter as his record dropped to 11-14 with a 4.46 ERA in 1993, and after a fair year in 1994, he slipped badly again in ’95. Clemens had another 20-strikeout single-game performance in 1996 on his way to a 10-13 record with a league-leading 257 strikeouts. “The Rocket” signed a three-year free agent contract worth $24.75 million with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 and won the AL Cy Young Award that year, going 21-7 with a league-best 2.05 ERA and 292 strikeouts with a fifth-place team that went 76-86 and again in 1998, when he was 20-6 and topped the circuit again in ERA (2.65) and strikeouts (271). The Blue Jays rose to third at 88-74 and Clemens requested a trade to a contending team and was dealt to the New York Yankees just prior to the ’99 season. Clemens spent five years with the Yanks, who won three AL pennants and two World Series titles during that time. “The Rocket” won another Cy Young Award in 2001 and compiled 77 wins in all during that period. Hinting at retirement in 2003, he followed LHP Andy Pettitte, a teammate and friend with the Yankees, to the Houston Astros as a free agent in 2004 and had an 18-4 record with a 2.98 ERA and received a seventh Cy Young Award. At age 43 in 2005, he led the NL with a 1.87 ERA as the Astros won the league pennant for the first time in franchise history. Clemens re-signed with Houston in ’06 and ended up with a 7-6 record and 2.30 ERA while the club failed to reach the postseason. Clemens returned to the Yankees for one final year in 2007. He later returned to organized baseball in 2012 at the age of 50, appearing with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. He started two games and had no decisions.  Overall, in the major leagues he compiled a 354-184 record and 3.12 ERA with 4672 strikeouts over the course of 4916.2 innings. In the postseason he was 12-8 with a 3.75 ERA and 173 strikeouts. His numbers with Boston alone were 192-111 with a 3.06 ERA and 2590 strikeouts. Controversy erupted over his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs during the later stages of his career, thus far keeping him from achieving election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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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.   

MVP Profile: Cal Ripken Jr., 1991

Shortstop, Baltimore Orioles

Age:  31 (Aug. 24)

10^th season with Orioles

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 200 

Prior to 1991:

The son and namesake of a former catching prospect for the Orioles who went on to become a minor league manager and coach in the organization, Ripken was a Maryland native and regularly attended Orioles home games once his father became part of the coaching staff. He played soccer as well as baseball at Aberdeen High School. He proved to be a standout as a pitcher and shortstop, batting .496 as a senior as well as posting a 7-2 pitching record for a squad that won the Maryland state championship. Ripken was chosen by the Orioles in the second round of the 1978 amateur draft. While there was interest in developing his pitching talent, Ripken started out professionally as a shortstop with Bluefield of the Rookie-level Appalachian League where he hit .264 in 63 games. He spent 1979 with teams at the Class A and AA levels, batting a combined .286 with 8 home runs and 62 RBIs. With Charlotte of the Class AA Southern League, which had been his second stop in ’79, Ripken hit .276 in 1980 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs. Assigned to the Rochester Red Wings of the Class AAA International League in 1981, he batted .288 with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs and was the league’s All-Star third baseman. Ripken received a late-season call-up to the Orioles where he hit only .128 in 39 at bats. The Orioles still dealt veteran third baseman Doug DeCinces in the offseason to make room for Ripken in 1982, and despite a slow start he remained in the lineup and was shifted to shortstop in July. The result was a fine season in which he batted .264 with 28 home runs and 93 RBIs. He received AL Rookie of the Year honors. Ripken followed up with an MVP season in 1983 as the Orioles topped the AL East and went on to capture the World Series. The young shortstop led the league in hits (211), runs scored (121), and doubles (47) while also batting .318 with 27 home runs and 102 RBIs. Ripken followed up with another strong season for a less-accomplished Orioles club in 1984, hitting .304 with 27 home runs and 86 RBIs. Taller and heavier than most shortstops, Ripken was also agile with quick reflexes and a good throwing arm. He remained a steady presence at the position. The high-scoring Orioles finished fourth in 1985 while Ripken contributed 26 home runs, 110 RBIs, a .282 batting average, and a .347 on-base percentage. In 1986 he compiled 25 home runs, 81 RBIs, and a .282 average while leading AL shortstops with 482 assists and committing only 13 errors. In 1987 Ripken’s father, Cal Sr. took over as manager of the fading Orioles. In July he was joined by his brother Billy, who took over as the starting second baseman and played well alongside his older sibling. Additionally, in September, manager Ripken pulled shortstop Ripken late in a hopeless game, thus ending Ripken’s record consecutive innings streak at 8264 while the consecutive games streak stayed alive, reaching 925 by season’s end. For the year Ripken’s average dropped to .252 with 27 home runs and 98 RBIs. When the 1988 season started off with six losses, Cal Sr. was fired as manager, much to the distress of his two ballplayer sons. The losing streak extended to 21 under their father’s successor, Frank Robinson, on the way to a last place finish. Cal Jr. batted .264 with 23 home runs and 81 RBIs. The Orioles bounced back with a strong second place finish in 1989 and Ripken contributed 21 home runs, 93 RBIs, and a .257 batting average in addition to leading AL shortstops in total chances (815), put outs (276), assists (531) and DPs (119). In 1990 he posted a record .996 fielding average at shortstop as he committed only three errors in 680 total chances. At bat he hit .250 with 21 home runs and 84 RBIs.

1991 Season Summary

Appeared in 162 games

SS – 162

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 717 [5]

At Bats – 650 [4]

Runs – 99 [11]

Hits – 210 [2]

Doubles – 46 [2]

Triples – 5 [20, tied with four others]

Home Runs – 34 [3]

RBI – 114 [4]

Bases on Balls – 53

Int. BB – 15 [5]

Strikeouts – 46

Stolen Bases – 6

Caught Stealing – 1

Average - .323 [6]

OBP - .374 [16, tied with Jack Clark]

Slugging Pct. - .566 [2]

Total Bases – 368 [1]

GDP – 19 [11, tied with Edgar Martinez, Carlton Fisk & Dave Valle]

Hit by Pitches – 5

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 9 [3, tied with eight others]

 

League-leading total bases were +32 ahead of runner-up Rafael Palmeiro

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 21, HR – 18, RBI – 54, AVG - .348, SLG - .596

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) at Texas 4/13, (in 6 AB) at KC Royals 6/23 – 10 innings, (in 5 AB) at Detroit 9/29

Longest hitting streak – 12 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 5 AB) at Texas 4/13, (in 5 AB) at Detroit 9/29

HR at home – 16

HR on road – 18

Multi-HR games – 2

Most RBIs, game – 7 at Texas 4/13

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances – 806

Put Outs – 267

Assists – 528

Errors – 11

DP - 114

Pct. - .986

 

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

Gold Glove

Silver Slugger

All-Star (Started for AL at SS)

Top 5 in AL MVP Voting:

Cal Ripken Jr., Balt.: 318 points – 15 of 28 first place votes, 81% share

Cecil Fielder, Det.: 286 points – 9 first place votes, 73% share

Frank Thomas, ChiWS.: 181 points – 1 first place vote, 46% share

Jose Canseco, Oak.: 145 points – 37% share

Joe Carter, Tor.: 136 points – 1 first place vote, 35% share

(2 first place votes for Roberto Alomar, Tor., who ranked sixth)

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Orioles went 67-95 to finish sixth in the AL Eastern Division, 24 games behind the division-winning Toronto Blue Jays. A 6-14 stretch in April into May dropped the Orioles into the AL East cellar. Manager Frank Robinson was replaced by John Oates on May 23 which yielded no immediate improvement, but a 14-14 June gave the club it’s only non-losing month on the way to a sixth-place finish.

Aftermath of ‘91:

The Orioles moved to a new stadium at Camden Yards in 1992 and Ripken’s batting dropped to .251 with 14 home runs and 72 RBIs. He remained a Gold Glove performer in the field. A sprained knee put his consecutive game streak at risk in 1993 but he played through the injury and hit .257 with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs while still performing well in the field. In the strike-shortened 1994 season Ripken’s average rose to .315 with 13 home runs and 75 RBIs. The focus in 1995 was the pursuit of Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game record which he surpassed by playing in his 2131st straight game on September 6. It was a much-needed bright spot at a time in which labor issues were significantly denting baseball’s popularity. For the year, Ripken batted 262 with 17 home runs and 88 RBIs. The streak continued into 1996 as Ripken passed Japan’s Sachio Kinugasa, who held the world record of 2215 consecutive games played. He was also briefly shifted to third base in 1997. Dealing with back problems he hit .278 with 26 home runs and 102 RBIs. The move to third base became full-time in 1997, a year in which he batted .270 with 17 home runs and 84 RBIs while still appearing in every game and committing just eight errors at third base. The consecutive game streak finally came to an end at Ripken’s request in September of 1998, having reached a total of 2632. His batting production dropped to .271 with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs. He played three more seasons until retiring in 2001. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Orioles, Ripken, over the course of 3001 games, batted .276 with 3184 hits that included 603 doubles, 44 triples, and 431 home runs. He further scored 1647 runs and compiled 1695 RBIs and a .340 on-base percentage. Appearing in 28 postseason games, he hit .336 with one home run and 8 RBIs. A 19-time All-Star, Ripken was also a two-time MVP and Gold Glove recipient. The Orioles retired his #8 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. The consecutive game streak stands as a testament to Ripken’s dedication and consistency. He remained involved in philanthropic activities following his retirement, as well as youth baseball activities. He also owns a minor league team that is affiliated with the Orioles, the Aberdeen IronBirds. His brother Billy remained his teammate until 1992, and again in 1996, on his way to a twelve-year career that ended in 1998.

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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. 

Rookie of the Year: Chuck Knoblauch, 1991

Second Baseman, Minnesota Twins

Age:  23 (July 7)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’9”    Weight: 175

Prior to 1991:

A native Texan, Knoblauch was the son of a successful baseball coach at Bellaire High School in Houston and developed a passion for the game from a young age. Small but highly competitive, he was shortstop on his father’s team in high school until a broken leg cost him his senior year of play. Moving on to Texas A & M Knoblauch was a two-time All-Southwest Conference shortstop. Selected by the Twins in the first round of the 1989 amateur draft, he signed for $120,000. With two Class A teams in ’89 he batted .308 in 69 games. Moving up to the Orlando Suns of the Class AA Southern League, where he was shifted from shortstop to second base in 1990, Knoblauch hit .289, scored 74 runs and stole 23 bases. A non-roster invitee to spring training with the Twins in 1991, he beat out veteran Nelson Liriano for the starting job at second base.

1991 Season Summary

Appeared in 151 games

2B – 148, SS – 2, PH – 3, PR – 3

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 636

At Bats – 565

Runs – 78

Hits – 159

Doubles – 24

Triples – 6 [12, tied with seven others]

Home Runs – 1

RBI – 50

Bases on Balls – 59

Int. BB – 0

Strikeouts – 40

Stolen Bases – 25 [15]

Caught Stealing – 5

Average - .281

OBP - .351

Slugging Pct. - .350

Total Bases – 198

GDP – 8

Hit by Pitches – 4

Sac Hits – 1

Sac Flies – 5

Midseason snapshot: HR – 0, RBI – 23, AVG - .279, OBP - .350

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. Detroit 5/12, (in 6 AB) vs. Oakland 8/16 – 12 innings

Longest hitting streak – 20 games

Most HR, game – 1 (in 3 AB) vs. Baltimore 8/31

HR at home – 1

HR on road – 0

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 3 vs. Oakland 4/24, vs. Chicago White Sox 9/24

Pinch-hitting/running – 2 of 3 (.667) with 2 R & 1 SB

Fielding

Chances – 727

Put Outs – 249

Assists – 460

Errors – 18

DP - 94

Pct. - .975

Postseason Batting: 12 G (ALCS vs. Toronto – 5 G; World Series vs. Atlanta – 7 G)

PA – 55, AB – 46, R – 8, H – 15, 2B – 3,3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 5, BB – 7, IBB – 0, SO – 5, SB – 6, CS – 1, AVG - .326, OBP - .407, SLG - .391, TB – 18, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 1, SF – 1

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Chuck Knoblauch, Min.: 136 pts. – 26 of 28 first place votes, 97% share

Juan Guzman, Tor.: 68 pts. – 1 first place vote, 49% share

Milt Cuyler, Det.: 22 pts. – 1 first place vote, 16% share

Ivan Rodriguez, Tex.: 10 pts. – 7% share

Rich DeLucia, Sea.: 7 pts. – 5% share

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Twins went 95-67 to finish first in the AL Western Division by 8 games over the Chicago White Sox, while leading the league in hits (1557), batting (.280) & on-base percentage (.344). A last-place team the previous year, a 15-game June winning streak propelled the Twins into first place, a position that they rarely relinquished the rest of the way. Won ALCS over the Toronto Blue Jays, 4 games to 1. Won World Series over the Atlanta Braves, 4 games to 3. The highly competitive Series came down to a dramatic seventh game pitching performance by Minnesota RHP Jack Morris, who outlasted John Smoltz and two relievers to win in 10 innings.

Aftermath of ‘91:

Knoblauch followed up on his fine rookie season by batting .297 in 1992 with 104 runs scored and 34 stolen bases and received his first All-Star selection. Dogged by two slumps in 1993, Knoblauch hit .277 and scored 82 runs while performing well defensively. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, he led the AL with 45 doubles while batting .312 and continuing to play well in the field. Knoblauch further established himself as a top second baseman and leadoff hitter in 1995 by hitting .333 with 34 doubles, 8 triples, 11 home runs, 63 RBIs, and 197 runs scored, placing seventeenth in league MVP voting. In 1996 he led the AL with 14 triples while batting .341 and scoring 140 runs. During the season he signed a five-year, $30 million contract extension. Knoblauch received his only Gold Glove following a 1997 season in which he also batted .291 with 26 doubles, 10 triples, 9 home runs, 58 RBIs, 62 stolen bases, and 117 runs scored. With the Twins performing badly, he requested a trade to a contender in the offseason and was dealt to the New York Yankees for four prospects and cash. Known for his fundamentally sound style of play and high on-base percentage, with the Yankees in 1998 he hit .265 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs. He began to encounter problems in the field due to errant throws to first base. Nevertheless, he was a contributor to a championship team, including a .375 batting average in the World Series win against San Diego. Knoblauch remained with the Yankees through 2001, thanks primarily to the productivity of his bat, while his fielding woes worsened to the point that he was shifted to left field in his last year with the club. He moved on to the Kansas City Royals as a free agent in 2002, where he remained in left field, but his hitting dropped off significantly in his final major league season. Overall for his major league career, Knoblauch batted .289 with 1839 hits that included 322 doubles, 64 triples, and 98 home runs. He further scored 1132 runs, stole 407 bases, and had a .378 on-base percentage. His totals with the Twins were a .304 batting average with 1197 hits, 713 runs scored, 210 doubles, 51 triples, 43 home runs, 391 RBIs, and 276 stolen bases. A four-time All-Star (all with the Twins) Knoblauch was awarded two Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove. In 66 postseason games he batted .258 with two home runs and 20 RBIs. In 2008 he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

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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.