Midday Memories: Twins Cy Young Winners

Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PREWIRE

Congratulations to R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets and David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays for being named the 2012 Cy Young Award winners.  The annual award was announced yesterday.  While Dickey won by a large margin in the National League, Price won in the American League with a close margin over Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.

The announcement of new awards can be a good time to take a trip down memory lane.  For the Minnesota Twins, that trip would include three stops to remember players who won the Cy Young in a Twins uniform.

Jim Perry (1970) – Perry was a workhorse, never spending a day on the DL.  During his Cy Young year, Perry finished with a 24-12 record, 278.2 IP, and a 3.04 ERA.  He and Gaylord Perry are the only brothers to both win Cy Young awards.

Frank Viola (1988) – Viola ended the 1987 season by being named MVP of the World Series.  He continued that success the following year, earning the Cy Young.  With a 24-7 record, 255.1 IP, and 2.64 ERA during his Cy Young season, “Sweet Music” was clearly an Ace for the Twins.

Johan Santana (2004 & 2006) – Considered by many as the last real Ace the Twins had, Santana’s name is still mentioned by some fans as an example of the Twins trading away high value for low return.  Fans fondly remember Santana’s 2004 (20-6 record, 228.0 IP, 2.61 ERA) and 2006 (19-6 record, 233.2 IP, 2.77) seasons, years the team win the AL Central wins.  But it’s also tough to forget that the team lost in the first round of the playoffs each year.

An interesting note for Twins fans…Viola, Santana, and Dickey all played for the Mets following their time in Minnesota.

Congratulations to the 2012 winners!  Here’s to a pie-in-the-sky hope that the Twins can find another Cy Young winner soon!