In 2006, Brandon Webb became more than just a one-pitch wonder. As a result, the Arizona sinkerballer won the National League Cy Young Award on Tuesday.
Showing more mental toughness and improved control (he issued a career-low 50 walks), while mixing in an effective curveball, Webb became a dominant pitcher. The Rockies saw that up close and personal Sept. 15 when Webb beat them 5-1, striking out 10. From the first inning through the seventh, Webb retired 20 of 21 batters.
“He’s a tough day at the office,” Rockies slugger Matt Holliday said at the time. “He’s throwing that curve more, and that makes him tougher. But I think what makes Webb so good is that he has good command on both sides of the plate. And his sinker has so much action on it, it’s hard to square it up.”
One of six pitchers who tied for the NL lead with 16 victories, Webb received 15 of 32 first- place votes and 103 points in balloting by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman, who broke the all-time career saves record this season, got 12 first-place votes and 77 points. Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, last year’s winner, finished third with two first-place votes and 63 points.
Webb threw a career-high 235 innings, which ranked second in the NL. He tied Carpenter for the league lead with three shutouts. Webb went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA and a career-high 178 strikeouts in 33 starts. Webb was almost unhittable early in the season when he went 8-0 with a 2.14 ERA in his first 13 starts.
“I have some pretty big emotions; this stays with you forever,” said Webb in a teleconference, adding that he thought it would be a closer race.
Webb’s 16 victories were the fewest for a starting pitcher who won the Cy Young Award during a full season. The previous low was 17, by the Montreal Expos’ Pedro Martinez in 1997 and Arizona’s Randy Johnson in 1999. The Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela won with a 13-7 record in 1981 and Atlanta’s Greg Maddux won with a 16-6 record in 1994, but they both won in strike-shortened seasons.
Webb’s groundball-to-flyball ratio of 3.64 led the majors. His mastery of the sinker was the reason.
“Basically, I just tried to do what I’ve done the last three years, which is throw a lot of sinkers,” Webb said. “Early in my career, even in the minor leagues, if I had a bad inning or something went wrong, I’d show emotion out there and let that get to me. Every year, I’ve tried to improve on that.”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
