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L.A. Dodgers' Gagne Wins Cy Young Award
Phil Enquirer ^ | Nov 13, 2003 | Phil Blum

Posted on 11/13/2003 2:06:46 PM PST by doug from upland

Posted on Thu, Nov. 13, 2003
L.A. Dodgers' Gagne Wins Cy Young Award
RONALD BLUM
Associated Press

NEW YORK - Eric Gagne of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first relief pitcher in 11 years to win a Cy Young Award, easily beating San Francisco's Jason Schmidt for the National League honor.

Gagne, who converted all 55 of his save opportunities, received 28 of 32 first-place votes and 146 points in balloting released Thursday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

It was just the ninth time a reliever won a Cy Young, the first in the NL since San Diego's Mark Davis in 1989.

"We haven't seen a lot of relievers win that award, so I was a little worried," Gagne said during a telephone conference call.

Schmidt was second with two first-place votes and 73 points. Chicago's Mark Prior got the other first-place votes and was third with 60 points.

Gagne, a 27-year-old right-hander, was 2-3 with a 1.20 ERA and had 137 strikeouts and 20 walks in 82 1-3 innings.

He was converted from a starter to a reliever after the 2001 season and had 52 saves in 2002.

"I knew I had the mental attitude to be a closer, it was just a matter of doing it in the major leagues," Gagne said. "As a starter, you have to be more relaxed, you have to control your emotions more."

He is the only pitcher to reach 50 saves in more than one season and has converted 62 consecutive save chances dating to 2002, a major league record.

"I don't really care about the streak," said Gagne, the first reliever to win a Cy Young since Oakland's Dennis Eckersley won the AL award in 1992.

He is just the second Canadian to win a Cy Young, following Ferguson Jenkins of the Cubs in 1971. Gagne failed to hold a lead just once this season - he allowed a two-run, go-ahead homer to Hank Blalock of Texas in the eighth inning of the All-Star game. "For me, the All-Star game doesn't count," Gagne said.

Because he was 18 days shy of being eligible for arbitration and his contract was automatically renewed by the Dodgers in March, Gagne doesn't get a bonus added to his $550,000 salary.

He figures to earn $3.5 million or more next season. "I'm not bitter. That's the business side of it.

There's no hard feeling," Gagne said. "Now, it's going to be a different story."

Schmidt, 17-5 with a league-leading 2.34 ERA, gets $75,000 for finishing second.

Prior, 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA, gets $100,000 for winding up third. Prior, who is getting married Saturday, thought Gagne deserved to win.

"To do what he did and to not blow a save, especially in the situations he was put in, one-run games a lot of times, and to rattle off 50-some odd straight saves, is unbelievable," he said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cyyoung; dodgers; gagne; relievers
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1 posted on 11/13/2003 2:06:50 PM PST by doug from upland
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To: doug from upland
strange prizing - $75,000 for 2nd and 100,000 for 3rd

wtf?

2 posted on 11/13/2003 2:11:34 PM PST by Republicus2001
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To: doug from upland
Excellent choice. He had like 130ks in 82 innings.
3 posted on 11/13/2003 2:12:20 PM PST by Keyes2000mt (Pray for Rush)
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To: doug from upland
I haven't followed the Dodgers very much this year, but I remember reading somewhere that Gagne's numbers are a bit misleading because he was never actually sent into a game this year with an inherited runner on base. I'm wondering if this is true.
4 posted on 11/13/2003 2:12:28 PM PST by Alberta's Child ("To freedom, Alberta, horses . . . and women!")
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To: Republicus2001
guys have different bonus provisions written into their contracts. That's not money that comes directly with the award, just whatever they negotiated in the event they place.
5 posted on 11/13/2003 2:13:55 PM PST by Hegewisch Dupa
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To: Republicus2001
That, I believe, is what the different teams offered those players as bonuses for winning awards. I don't think any cash prizes are actually given out by MLB for winning. Many players have clauses in their contracts that give them monetary bonuses for making the All-Star team, wininng the Cy Young, etc.
6 posted on 11/13/2003 2:15:10 PM PST by TheBigB (One picture is worth a thousand dollars, but the sheep has to be wearing lipstick.)
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To: Republicus2001
strange prizing - $75,000 for 2nd and 100,000 for 3rd

And Nothing for first. It's just a difference in their contracts. The bonuses are given by the teams not by Major League Baseball.

7 posted on 11/13/2003 2:15:48 PM PST by Keyes2000mt (Pray for Rush)
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To: Keyes2000mt
I respectfully disagree. Closers should get the closer's award--the Fireman? Starters should get the Cy. Facing 3-5 batters a game is nowhere near the same thing as 30+ at bats per game. It's a ridiculous comparison.
8 posted on 11/13/2003 2:15:59 PM PST by Huck
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To: Sabertooth
One for the Good Guys!
9 posted on 11/13/2003 2:19:08 PM PST by PRND21
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To: Alberta's Child
No clue. I have not been to a Dodger game since the wife beating coke head Darryl Strawberry was being cheered for winning a game with a homer. No thanks.
10 posted on 11/13/2003 2:20:41 PM PST by doug from upland (Why aren't the Clintons living out their remaining years on Alcatraz?)
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To: Huck
Relative comparisons NEED be made, not avoided. A starter gets to pitch in blow-outs; a closer never does. A closer can go day after day, a starter can't. It's just a difficult comparison. But shying away from it is like the clown sportswriters who refuse to vote a pitcher MVP. Just because it isn't easily laid out in front of them doesn't give them the right to avoid thinking.
11 posted on 11/13/2003 2:22:10 PM PST by Hegewisch Dupa
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To: Huck
Russ Ortiz should've gotten more votes than he did.
12 posted on 11/13/2003 2:22:29 PM PST by TheBigB (One picture is worth a thousand dollars, but the sheep has to be wearing lipstick.)
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To: Alberta's Child
"I haven't followed the Dodgers very much this year, but I remember reading somewhere that Gagne's numbers are a bit misleading because he was never actually sent into a game this year with an inherited runner on base. I'm wondering if this is true."

No, that's not true.

I am thrilled by this choice, which was truly deserved!
13 posted on 11/13/2003 2:26:06 PM PST by GOPrincess
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To: Hegewisch Dupa
I don't think pitchers should be MVPs. They should win Cy Youngs. Unless they are closers. Simple.
14 posted on 11/13/2003 2:35:17 PM PST by Huck
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Too bad John Smoltz got hurt, else he would be the winner. But playing healthy is part of it also.
15 posted on 11/13/2003 2:35:29 PM PST by hannityforpres08
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To: GOPrincess
You are correct. He will probaly go down in history as the best releiver ever when he is done.
16 posted on 11/13/2003 2:46:42 PM PST by hannityforpres08
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To: doug from upland
Finally something for us Dodgers fans to be happy about.
17 posted on 11/13/2003 2:48:02 PM PST by GSWarrior
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To: doug from upland
Now let's go sign Tejada and Javy Lopez.
18 posted on 11/13/2003 2:49:34 PM PST by GSWarrior
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To: doug from upland
I'm an American League fan, so the only time I saw Gagne pitch this year was when he blew the lead in the All-Star Game!
19 posted on 11/14/2003 12:24:44 AM PST by NYCVirago
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To: Huck
Simple, sure, but wrong. No offense, I don't mean to lash out at you, this is just an old pet-peeve of mine. The sportswriters who refuse to vote for pitcher for MVP are doing a disservice to their ballot. They have no business filling one out - the instructions on the ballot clearly state that they should consider pitchers. They are akin to activist judges who know better than the rest of us and have to prove it by acting outside of the system they pretend to be protecting.

But for closers – a pitcher who can be used in in almost half your games, in high-pressure situations, with nearly 100% effectiveness – if you aren’t telling me that is invaluable, you don’t understand the game. What manager wouldn’t want such a powerful tool at his disposal?

Pretending starters can’t be compared to closers, or pitchers to position players, is nonsense. It’s like saying it’s impossible to compare a good hitting, iron-gloved right fielder to a cancer bat, Golden Gloved speedster right fielder. The relative merits of hitting, base running, fielding and yes, even pitching, CAN be compared, and for the writers making decisions – MUST be compared, as per the rules of the various awards. Too often people get intimated because these comparisons are complex, multi-level and fuzzy. But to paraphrase some funny talking dead guy, ‘We make these comparisons not because they are easy, but because they are hard.’

Bless ya if you’re still reading this. A couple real quick answers to the “pitchers can’t be MVP argument.” One – if we were picking teams, would you not chose a pitcher high in your wish list? If not, I’d hope you were an opponent in my league. If so, does that not say something about how valuable pitchers are to you? But even more powerful and argument – Two: If you played left field for the New York Yankees, they would still win games. Not as many, sure, but some. Even with you going 0 for every night, and dropping the Bad News Bears’ share of pop ups. They could still pull some victories out despite of you. Now if you pitched for the Yanks they would never, ever, EVER win a game. You would be 0 for life, assuming they kept you in long enough, which they’d have to for the purposes of the example. There’s a reason shortstops don’t have win/loss records. If this doesn’t show you some idea of relative worth, well then I can’t help you.

20 posted on 11/14/2003 6:55:39 AM PST by Hegewisch Dupa
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