Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw Wins NL Cy Young Award
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) — Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers was named the winner of the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, marking the second time in his young career that he has been given the award.
Kershaw went 16-9 in 2013 with a 1.83 ERA — lowest in the majors in 13 years. The left-hander also led the league in strikeouts with 232.
The 25-year-old also won the Cy Young in 2011 and was second in voting last year.
"Winning this award a second time is every bit as special as it was the first time around," Kershaw said in a statement released by the Dodgers.
Kershaw received 29 of 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America for a total of 207 points. Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals was a distant second in the voting; he received one first-place vote and 86 points. The Miami Marlins' Jose Fernandez, the league's rookie of the year, finished third in the Cy Young voting. Kershaw's Dodgers teammate Zack Greinke was eighth.
Kershaw's win marked the record 11th time a Dodgers pitcher has won the Cy Young since the award was first presented in 1956.
"This is such a cool thing. I can't even explain what it means to me," Kershaw said in an interview on MLB Network. "It really is a huge honor."
Voting for the Cy Youngs was done before the playoffs began. Kershaw went 1-0 in two sharp starts against Atlanta in the division series, then lost twice to St. Louis in the NL championship. The Cardinals tagged him in a 9-0 romp in the clinching Game 6.
"We came up short. I didn't pitch the way I should have in the last game," he said.
Kershaw has been an All-Star the past three seasons and put up eye-popping statistics. Now, he said, the only thing left for him to do is win the World Series.
"I want that ring," he said.
Earlier Wednesday, Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers was named winner of the American League Cy Young Award. Scherzer, who led the majors with 21 wins, received 28 of 30 first-place votes.
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