The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB),one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford C. Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young,who died in 1955. The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues,but in 1967,after the retirement of Frick,the award was given to one pitcher in each league.
Philip Henry Niekro,nicknamed "Knucksie",was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves,Cleveland Indians,New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. Niekro is generally regarded as the greatest knuckleball pitcher of all time.
John Andrew Smoltz,nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke",is an American former baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009,all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time All-Star,Smoltz was part of a celebrated trio of starting pitchers,along with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine,who propelled Atlanta to perennial pennant contention in the 1990s,highlighted by a championship in the 1995 World Series. He won the National League (NL) Cy Young Award in 1996 after posting a record of 24–8,equaling the most victories by an NL pitcher since 1972.
The Sporting News Reliever of the Year Award was an annual award presented to the best relief pitcher in each league in Major League Baseball (MLB). It was established in 1960 by The Sporting News (TSN) as the Fireman of the Year Award. At the time,no reliever had ever received a Cy Young Award vote. The Fireman of the Year Award originally recognized the reliever with the most combined saves and wins in each league in MLB. The magazine had started publishing the then-unofficial save statistic that same year. Later,a save was worth two points compared to one for a win in determining the winner. In 2001 the award was chosen based on consensus from TSN editors,and it was renamed to Reliever of the Year Award. The award was last issued in 2010 before being discontinued.
Howard Bruce Sutter was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1976 and 1988. He was one of the sport's dominant relievers in the late 1970s and early 1980s,making effective use of the split-finger fastball. A six-time All-Star and 1982 World Series champion,Sutter recorded a 2.83 career earned run average and 300 saves,the third-most in MLB history at the time of his retirement. Sutter won the National League's (NL) Cy Young Award in 1979 as its top pitcher,and won the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award four times. He became the only pitcher to lead the NL in saves five times.
Jeffrey James Reardon is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1979–1994 with the New York Mets,Montreal Expos,Minnesota Twins,Boston Red Sox,Atlanta Braves,Cincinnati Reds,and New York Yankees. Reardon was nicknamed "the Terminator" for his intimidating presence on the mound and 98 mph fastball. A long-time closer,Reardon became MLB's all-time saves leader in 1992 with his 342nd save,breaking Rollie Fingers' previous record of 341. Reardon's record was broken the following season by Lee Smith. Reardon currently ranks 12th on the all-time saves list with 367.
Lee Arthur Smith is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight teams. Serving mostly as a relief pitcher during his career,he was a dominant closer,was the first pitcher to reach 400 saves,and held the major league record for career saves from 1993 until 2006,when Trevor Hoffman passed his total of 478. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2019 by the Today's Game Era Committee.
Antonio Alfonseca is a Dominican former relief pitcher. He last pitched in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007. Alfonseca also played for the Florida Marlins,the Chicago Cubs (2002–2003),the Atlanta Braves (2004),and the Texas Rangers (2006).
Terence John Mulholland is an American former professional baseball pitcher. His Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned 20 seasons,1986 and 1988 to 2006. He threw left-handed and batted right-handed.
This is a list of award winners and league leaders for the Houston Astros,an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL),having moved to the league in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the National League (NL).
Mark William Davis is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Davis played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies,San Francisco Giants (1983–1987),San Diego Padres,Kansas City Royals (1990–1992),Atlanta Braves (1992),and Milwaukee Brewers (1997). He won the National League Cy Young Award in 1989,as a relief pitcher for the Padres. Davis batted and threw left-handed. He was the Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Kansas City Royals organization,but stepped aside after the 2011 season to coach a single short-season affiliate in 2012.
William Richard Campbell was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1973 to 1987. He played for the American League (AL) Minnesota Twins,Boston Red Sox,and Detroit Tigers and the National League (NL) Chicago Cubs,Philadelphia Phillies,St. Louis Cardinals,and Montreal Expos.
Alfred Willis Holland is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher,who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates,San Francisco Giants,Philadelphia Phillies,California Angels,and New York Yankees,from 1977 to 1987.
Wayne Allan Granger is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals,Cincinnati Reds (1969–1971),Minnesota Twins (1972),New York Yankees (1973),Chicago White Sox (1974),Houston Astros (1975) and Montreal Expos (1976). The 6–4,165-pound Granger was one of baseball's most effective and durable relief pitchers during the early years of Cincinnati's famed Big Red Machine.
Major League Baseball (MLB) annually honors its best relief pitchers in the American League (AL) and National League (NL) with the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award and Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award,respectively. The awards are named after former relievers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman,who played their entire careers in the respective leagues. First issued in 2014,the awards replaced the Delivery Man of the Year Award,which had been presented since 2005.
James Robert Johnson is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles,Oakland Athletics,Detroit Tigers,Atlanta Braves,Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels. Johnson was an All-Star in 2012 and won the Rolaids Relief Man Award that year while leading MLB in saves. In 2013,Johnson became the first American League (AL) pitcher ever to have recorded back-to-back seasons of 50 saves or more. Johnson and Éric Gagnéare the only two MLB pitchers to accomplish this feat.
The 1991 Major League Baseball season saw the Minnesota Twins defeat the Atlanta Braves for the World Series title,in a series where every game was won by the home team.
The Luis Aparicio Award is given annually to a Venezuelan player in Major League Baseball (MLB) who is judged to have recorded the best individual performance in that year. The winner of the award is determined by a vote conducted by Venezuelan sports journalists and Spanish-language media around the world. It is named after former MLB shortstop Luis Aparicio,who is the only player from Venezuela to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The award was first presented in 2004,and was created in order to honour Aparicio's major league career and to commemorate his father,who died thirteen years before his son was elected into the Hall of Fame.
The Rolaids Relief Man Award was an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given from 1976 to 2012 to the top relief pitchers of the regular season,one in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL).
Cameron Rock Bedrosian is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels,Cincinnati Reds,Oakland Athletics,and Philadelphia Phillies. The Angels selected Bedrosian in the first round of the 2010 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2014. He is the son of MLB Cy Young Award winning pitcher Steve Bedrosian.
