1882 Cy Young Awards

1882 American Association - Will White, Cincinnati Red Stockings

40-12, 1.54 ERA, 122 K

1882 was the first year in which there were two major leagues - the National League, and the relatively short-lived American Association.  Had the Cy Young Award existed at the time, it would have gone to the star pitcher of the league champion Cincinnati Red Stockings, Will White.  By now a six-year major league veteran, White had previously set single season records for games started (75), complete games (75) and innings pitched (680).  While he did not come close to those figures in 1882, he still led the league in complete games, with 52, and innings pitched, with 480.  Additionally, he led the league in wins, and was fourth in ERA, although he pitched substantially more innings than the other pitchers that he was behind.   Incidentally, the Cincinnati Reds have never had a pitcher who won the Cy Young Award, but had the award existed in 1882, Cincinnati's first year of existence, White certainty would have earned it.

1882 National League - Old Hoss Radbourn, Providence Grays

33-19, 2.11 ERA, 201 K

The 1882 NL Award was a toss-up between 1880 winner Jim McCormick and Radbourn, but I gave it to Radbourn because of his better ERA, and the fact that he led the league in strikeouts and shutouts (6).  He was also second in games started (51), complete games (50), and innings pitched (466), although McCormick finished first in all three of those categories.  He is also the first pitcher that I have chosen for a retroactive Cy Young Award who has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, although 1882 was just his second year in the majors, and his greatest fame as a pitcher was yet to come.