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 Now, the newly minted AL Cy Young Award winner said he will "wait
and see" whether he's returning to the Detroit Tigers next year.
Scherzer went 21-3 and was an easy pick Wednesday as the American
League's top pitcher, drawing 28 of 30 first-place votes from
members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the NL Cy Young Award
for the second time in three seasons, coming within one vote of a
unanimous selection.
Scherzer — like Kershaw — can become a free agent after the 2014
season, and the Tigers are trying to figure out if they can afford
him along with all their other stars such as Miguel Cabrera, Prince
Fielder and Justin Verlander. That's prompted talk they might trade
Scherzer before opening day.
"I love it here in Detroit," Scherzer said on a conference call.
"Who wouldn't want to be a part of this?"
"The business side will take care of itself," he said. "It really
depends on what Detroit wants to do."
Scherzer and agent Scott Boras said they're open to talking to the
Tigers about an extension.
Scherzer lost only three times this season and was the lone 20-game
winner in baseball. He ranked second in the majors with 240
strikeouts and was fifth in the AL with a 2.90 ERA.
The 29-year-old righty smiled and raised both arms Wednesday when
the Cy Young results were announced.
"It's unbelievable. It just vindicates everything I've done,"
Scherzer said, acknowledging all the run support he received from
Detroit's powerful lineup probably helped his candidacy.
"I've been working so hard all these years to get better and
better," he added. "I think I took a big step forward in 2013."
Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers was second, marking the highest
finish by a Japanese-born pitcher in Cy Young voting. Hisashi
Iwakuma of the Seattle Mariners came in third.
"It was an honor to be a finalist for the American League Cy Young
Award," Darvish said in a statement. "Both Max Scherzer and Hisashi
Iwakuma had tremendous seasons. Max is a very deserving winner."
Texas is the only AL team that's never won a Cy Young Award.
Before Darvish and Iwakuma, the highest Cy Young finishes for
Japanese pitchers had been fourth place, by Hideo Nomo in the NL in
1995 and 1996, and by Daisuke Matsuzaka in the AL in 2008.
"It is such an honor to be one of the finalists for the best award
as a pitcher," Iwakuma said in a statement before the voting totals
were released. "I had never thought I would become a finalist here
in the U.S., so this is very special to me and is a big surprise."
Scherzer won his first 13 decisions of the season and made the
All-Star team for the first time.
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He helped pitch the Tigers to their third
straight AL Central title, joined in a deep rotation by
Verlander, the 2011 AL Cy Young Award winner, Anibal Sanchez and
Doug Fister.
Scherzer went 16-7 last year, then added a curveball to an
impressive repertoire that already included a hard fastball,
slider and changeup.
He beat Oakland as a starter and in relief during the AL
division series, then went 0-1 in two starts against Boston in
the AL championship series — he was pulled both times with the
Tigers ahead.
Scherzer is distinctive for more than just his record. His eyes
are different colors, with the right blue and left brown.
He's also unusual for another reason: He's made 174
regular-season and postseason starts for Detroit and Arizona,
yet has never pitched a complete game.
Scherzer threw eight innings on seven occasions this year, and
sometimes was taken out with a big lead. His big strikeout
totals tend to run up his pitch counts, and he said he wants to
be more efficient in the future.
And maybe even pitch a complete game.
"It is definitely something I want to achieve," he said. "To
throw a complete game, you have to have the right context of the
game."
Darvish led the majors with 277 strikeouts and went 13-9 with a
2.83 ERA. Iwakuma was 14-6 with a 2.66 ERA and 185 strikeouts
for the Mariners.
Sanchez was fourth and Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox was
fifth. They each got a first-place vote.
Kershaw won his second prize as the National League's best
pitcher after posting a 1.83 ERA — lowest in the majors in 13
years.
"This is such a cool thing. I can't even explain what it means
to me," he said in an interview on MLB Network. "It really is a
huge honor."
The 25-year-old lefty with a big-breaking curve drew 29 of 30
first-place votes. Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals
was picked first on one ballot and finished second.
Kershaw went 16-9 and topped the NL with 232 strikeouts. He also
won the Cy Young Award in 2011 and finished second last year to
knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
Darvish gets a $200,000 bonus and a $1 million raise to $11
million next season. Wainwright gets a $100,000 bonus and Sale
gets $60,000 for finishing fifth.
The AL and NL Most Valuable Player awards will be presented
Thursday.
[Associated
Press; BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer]
AP Sports Writer Mike
Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
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