It’s Unanimous: Twins’ Santana Wins Cy Young

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The New York Sun

As joyous fans celebrated by honking car horns in Caracas, Johan Santana sounded overwhelmed. He became the first Venezuelan to win a Cy Young Award, and not only that, he was a unanimous choice.


“This is like a dream come true,” he said after earning the American League honor yesterday.


The Minnesota Twins’ left-hander received all 28 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Santana, who went 20-6 and led the AL with a 2.61 ERA and 265 strikeouts, became the first unanimous Cy Young winner in the AL since Boston’s Pedro Martinez in 2000.


Curt Schilling, 21-6 with a 3.26 ERA in his first season with the Red Sox, received 27 second-place votes. Mariano Rivera of the Yankees, who led the major leagues with a career-high 53 saves, received the other second-place vote.


“I’m surprised this has been a unanimous decision,” Santana said. “I thought this was going to be a real tough race.”


Santana traveled yesterday morning from his hometown of Tovar Merida to Caracas. President Hugo Chavez planned to congratulate him Friday.


Santana was 13-0 with a 1.21 ERA in 15 starts after the All-Star break, mastering his changeup.


Voting was conducted before the start of the postseason, when Schilling beat the Yankees in Game 6 of the AL championship series and St. Louis in Game 2 of the World Series despite pitching with a dislocated ankle tendon held together by sutures.


Schilling, who led the major leagues in wins, has never won a Cy Young Award. He was runner-up for the third time, tying Johnson, a five-time winner, and 1957 winner Warren Spahn for the most second-place finishes.


Santana had a breakout season after going 12-3 for the Twins in 2003. Coming off elbow surgery, he was 2-4 with a 5.50 ERA in 12 starts before beating the Mets on June 9.


After leading Minnesota to its third straight AL Central title, he beat the Yankees in the opener of their first round playoff series and, pitching on three days’ rest, left Game 4 with a 5-1 lead before New York rallied against the Twins’ bullpen.


Santana, eligible for free agency after the 2006 season, lost in salary arbitration last February and earned a $1.6 million salary with no bonuses.


***


CLEMENS FILES FOR FREE AGENCY


Roger Clemens, fresh off his record seventh Cy Young Award, became a free agent yesterday on the final day to file. The 42-year-old Clemens, who went 18-4 for the Astros, hasn’t said whether he intends to pitch again next season.


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