Palmer breaks new ground with second Cy Young Award
In an era where future Hall of Famers dominated the Cy Young Award race, the Orioles’ Jim Palmer was twice as good as the competition.
On Nov. 4, 1975, Palmer became the first American League pitcher to win two outright Cy Young Awards. Though Detroit’s Denny McLain also had two trophies at that point, McLain shared the 1969 award with Baltimore’s Mike Cuellar after winning the award unanimously in 1968.
Palmer, meanwhile, won his first award in 1973 before struggling with injuries throughout the 1974 season. But he bounced back in 1975, winning what would be a career-high 23 games while leading all of baseball in ERA (2.09) and shutouts (10).
In accepting the award, Palmer noted that with some good fortune, he could have approached 30 victories. Palmer’s 11 losses included a 1-0 defeat, a 2-1 loss and two 2-0 losses – all of which came when Palmer pitched complete games.
“But when you won only seven games the year before, then win 23, you’ve got to be satisfied,” Palmer told the Baltimore Sun.
Palmer also got a no-decision during an Aug. 21 game against the Rangers where he allowed just two runs (one earned) over 12 innings before being relieved by Dyar Miller. The Orioles scored twice in the 14th to win 4-2.
It was Palmer’s only no-decision in a month when he went 6-1 with a 1.79 ERA and earned the AL’s Player of the Month Award.
Palmer finished 24 points ahead of runner-up Catfish Hunter in the Cy Young Award voting, tallying 15 first-place votes to seven for Hunter. In his first season with the Yankees after winning the Cy Young Award with the Athletics in 1974, Hunter went 23-14 with a 2.58 ERA and had numbers similar to Palmer’s across the board.
“Anytime you are in a neck-to-neck race with a pitcher like Hunter, it’s a great honor,” Palmer told the Sun. “Catfish is a great competitor and a great pitcher.
“I honestly felt I had a better season statistically, even though ‘The Cat’ had a fantastic season, too.”
Palmer won at least 20 games each season from 1970-73 before a problem with the ulna nerve in his right arm limited him to a 7-12 record in 26 starts in 1974. But after a winter of rehabilitation that included weightlifting, Palmer was better than ever in 1975.
He would win his third Cy Young Award in 1976 during a string of four more 20-win seasons that left him recognized as the ace of the American League.
“I was healthier most of the time,” Palmer told the Sun about his 1975 season. “(I) didn’t walk as many batters and threw fewer home run balls.
“I am very pleased, of course, but I thought I was going to win (the Cy Young Award) all the time.”
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
