Price finishes 2nd in AL Cy Young Award race
Lefty receives eight first-place votes behind Astros' Keuchel
TORONTO -- The American League Cy Young Award came down to a battle of ace left-handers. And in the end, David Price didn't have quite enough votes to overtake Houston's Dallas Keuchel.
Price finished second in the voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America as announced on Wednesday night. He received eight first-place votes, 21 second-place votes and one third-place vote for a total of 143 points. Keuchel received 22 first-place votes and eight second-place votes for 186 points.
• Complete 2015 awards coverage
The 30-year-old Price previously won the Cy Young Award in 2012, was second in '10 and sixth in '14. In 2015, Price was 18-5 with a league-best 2.45 ERA in 32 combined starts for the Tigers and Blue Jays. Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada received one fourth-place vote and one fifth-place vote to finish tied for 10th in the Cy Young Award race.
AL Cy Young Award Voting
| Pitcher,Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Keuchel, HOU | 22 | 8 | 186 | |||
| David Price, DET/TOR | 8 | 21 | 1 | 143 | ||
| Sonny Gray, OAK | 1 | 24 | 3 | 82 | ||
| Chris Sale, CWS | 3 | 7 | 7 | 30 | ||
| Chris Archer, TB | 10 | 9 | 29 | |||
| Wade Davis, KC | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | ||
| Felix Hernandez, SEA | 1 | 3 | 9 | |||
| Collin McHugh, HOU | 1 | 3 | 5 | |||
| Corey Kluber, CLE | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||
| Marco Estrada, TOR | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Andrew Miller, NYY | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Shawn Tolleson, TEX | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Carlos Carrasco, CLE | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Dellin Betances, NYY | 1 | 1 |
"Congrats to [Keuchel] for winning the American League Cy Young!!" Price wrote on Twitter after the BBWAA announcement was made on MLB Network. "He was my pick and I think the writers got it right!!"
Price is the sixth pitcher in MLB history to finish top three in voting for the award after getting traded midway through the season. He joins: Rick Sutcliffe (first in 1984), Rick Reuschel (third in '87), Bert Blyleven (third in '85), Tom Seaver (tied for third in '77) and Sal Maglie (second in '56).
According to FanGraphs, Price led the AL with a 6.4 WAR, was fourth with 225 strikeouts and fifth with a 1.08 WHIP. He was instrumental in helping Toronto reach the postseason for the first time since 1993, going 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts for the Blue Jays.
Keuchel had the edge in innings (232 vs. 220 1/3), opponents' batting average (.217 vs. .230) and walks/hits per innings pitched (1.02 vs. 1.08). Price had more strikeouts (225 vs. 217), a higher WAR (6.4 vs 6.1) and a lower ERA (2.45 vs. 2.48).
"For me, I have that good fastball command," Price said during the BBWAA Awards show on MLB Network. "Being able to throw that fastball, in, out, up, down, just being able to really command my fastball. I feel like those are the times that I put up my best games, or have my best stretches."
Price was looking to become the fourth pitcher in Toronto history to win the Cy Young Award. Pat Hentgen was the first in 1996 and was later followed by Roger Clemens (1997-98) and Roy Halladay (2003). With a second-place finish in voting, Price is seeking a lucrative long-term contract through free agency.
The Vanderbilt product has been dealt at the non-waiver Trade Deadline during each of the previous two years. In 2014, Price went from Tampa Bay to Detroit, and this year, Price was Toronto's prized acquisition for the stretch run in a trade with the Tigers. Price enjoyed each of his spots along the way, but more than anything else right now, he's looking forward to some stability.
Video: David Price finishes second in AL Cy Young vote
"Absolutely, just knowing that you're going to be somewhere for an extended period of time," Price said. "Whenever Trade Deadlines and the offseason rolls around, you don't have to worry about where you're going to be. You know where you're going to be for however many years you sign for and that's definitely comforting."