In the off-season leading up to this past MLB campaign, Roy “Doc” Halladay landed in Philadelphia via a mega deal after spending the entirety of what was to that point a 12-year career with the Toronto Blue Jays. In his very first season sporting a Phillies uniform, Halladay turned in yet another dominant year, and perhaps the best of his career. He received all 32 first place votes in the NL Cy Young voting, and is unanimously the 2010 winner of the award.
Halladay had a career low of 2.44 in ERA for a season in which he started at least 20 games; in 2005, his ERA was 2.41, but a broken leg prematurely ended his season after 19 starts. He won 20 games for the second time in three years, finishing with a 21-10 record this season. Of all his past efforts, only his 22-win 2003 campaign, in which Halladay earned his first and only other Cy Young Award, eclipses his 2010 win total.
Halladay led the league in wins, innings pitched, complete games, and shutouts, tying career highs in the latter two. He only walked 30 batters all season, which resulted in a career high K/BB ratio of 7.30 that easily led the NL. Doc also finished second in strikeouts to Tim Lincecum, and second in WHIP to teammate Roy Oswalt. Halladay pitched a perfect game this past regular season, while making his playoff debut a memorable one by tossing a no-no in his first ever post-season appearance this October.
Coming in second in the voting was Adam Wainwright, who had a great argument himself; he was the National League’s only other 20-game winner, and was second in ERA only to Josh Johnson (Halladay was third). Ubaldo Jimenez, who skyrocketed to a 15-1 start and had a 0.78 ERA after the season’s first two months, came in third place, thanks to significantly cooling down as the season progressed.
Only 12 pitchers before Halladay had won the award uncontested. The most recent had been Jake Peavy in 2007, who won the pitching Triple Crown that year. Halladay, now a two-time Cy Young Award winner, is 33 years old and is signed as a member of the Phillies through 2013, with an option for 2014.
I Like how well this was written.