WASHINGTON, D.C. — How much should a pitcher's win total matter when voting for the Cy Young?
Not much these days.
Jacob deGrom won the prestigious award on Wednesday in the National League despite winning just 10 games – the lowest win total ever for a starting Cy Young winner. Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez had 13 victories when he won the 2010 AL Cy Young.
"This confirms the Cy Young is an award not only for the pitcher with the most wins but the most dominant," said Hernandez in 2010.
Indeed.
The New York Mets ace received 29 of 30 first-place votes for 207 total points in voting conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America at the end of the regular season.
Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer, who won eight more games than deGrom, received one first-place votes for 123 total points, followed by the Philadelphia Phillies' Aaron Nola, who won 17 games and finished third in the race with 86 points.
Despite his 10-9 record, deGrom was recognized for his historic season and wasn't penalized for his lack of "W's" because of the poor offense behind him. Among the 58 qualifying starting pitchers this season, deGrom finished second to last in run support average (3.53). In comparison, Scherzer, with 18 wins, finished 10th (5.27), Nola 53rd (3.79).
DeGrom's credentials are unprecedented. He finished with a minuscule 1.70 ERA, sixth lowest among qualifiers since the mound was lowered to its current height in 1969. It's the second-best ERA by a starting pitcher this decade -- Zack Greinke finished with a 1.66 ERA in 2016.
Opponents hit .142 with one home run in 150 plate appearances with runners in scoring position. Even more remarkably, he had 18 starts in which he went at least six innings and allowed one or zero earned runs, and set a record with 29 straight starts allowing three runs or fewer.
For the season, he finished second behind Scherzer in the NL in strikeouts (269) – fourth-most in Mets history – innings (217) and WHIP (0.91).
"Obviously (Max) Scherzer and (Aaron) Nola had great seasons, but for Jake to go out there and do what he did without getting run support and have to pitch through bad defense, there were very few pitches that were kind of under no-stress," catcher Devin Mesoraco said in a phone interview with USA TODAY Network.
"Every outing, the tying run was at the plate or in the on-deck circle, and it makes what Jacob did even more impressive."
Scherzer, the three-time and reigning NL Cy Young winner, had arguably his most dominant season. He led the majors in strikeouts (300) and innings pitched (220 ⅔). Neither the Nationals nor Mets had a successful season, which ultimately favored deGrom.
Nola went 17-6 in 33 starts. He ranked second in the NL in ERA (2.37), fifth in strikeouts (224) and opponents' batting average (.197).
In claiming the award, deGrom becomes the first Mets pitcher to win since R.A. Dickey in 2012.
"I don't know how anybody ever beats him," said Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker after deGrom's final start, an eight-inning shutout performance at Citi Field. "You don't like to face him. But you know what? When you do face him, man, you appreciate what he is and what he can do."
