In a great pitching performance, off-season acquisition Roy Halladay led the Phillies to a 4-0 victory over the Reds in game 1 of the NLDS with a no-hitter. Halladay threw 5 perfect innings, then gave up a walk to Jay Bruce, but still finished with a no-hitter. Halladay was 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA this year for the Phillies. Is Roy Halladay the favorite for the NL Cy Young?
Halladay had a very strong season, but there are a couple of pitchers who are also legitimate candidates for the award. Let's take a look at the each pitchers case for the award.
Roy Halladay, Phillies
Halladay came to the Phillies in an off-season trade with the Blue Jays and was a huge success for the Phillies. Halladay was 21-10 this season with a 2.44 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He threw a perfect game earlier in the year against the Marlins on May 29, and threw a no-hitter in his first playoff appearance against the Reds today.
Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
Wainwright is a little bit of a long shot due to his late season arm injury, he did have a solid year that including a 20-11 record. Wainwright had an ERA of 2.42 and a WHIP of 1.05. Wainwright's batting average against is lower than Halladay's at .224 (Halladay's is .245). Wainwright's Cardinals did not make the playoffs, which may lower his chances of winning, but Wainwright definitely had a solid season.
Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies
Ubaldo Jimenez started off the season booming, throwing a no-hitter against the Braves on April 17. At the All-Star break, Ubaldo was 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA, and looked like the sure Cy Young winner. However, Jimenez really started to fall off a little bit in June, with 4.41 ERA, and then a 6.04 ERA in July. His final post All-Star game stats are a 4-7 record with a 3.80 ERA, which is nowhere near the dominance of his start to the season. He finished the year with a 19-8 record and a 2.88 ERA. His WHIP finished at 1.15, and a BAA of .209.
Overall, while all three of these pitchers had great seasons, I think the final rankings are:
1. Roy Halladay
2. Ubaldo Jimenez
3. Adam Wainwright
It's been a great first day in the playoffs so far, with a 5-1 win by the Rangers over the Rays, and the 4-0 no-hitter victory for the Phillies over the Reds. The Yankees-Twins game starts in about 10 minutes on TBS.
