1917 Cy Young Awards

1917 American League - Eddie Cicotte, Chicago White Sox

28-12, 1.53 ERA, 150 K

Cicotte very nearly won the Triple Crown in 1917 (he finished first in wins and ERA but second in strikeouts), led the White Sox to their last World Series win until 2005, and is generally credited with inventing the knuckleball, but he will always be best known as one of the eight conspirators banned from baseball for throwing the 1919 World Series.  However, that is still two years in the future, and in 1917 he was definitely the best pitcher in the American League.  Along with wins and ERA, he also led the league in ERA+ (174), WHIP (0.912), WAR (10), and innings pitched (346.2).  His ERA was .21 runs lower than anyone else, and he won 4 more games than Babe Ruth, ho had the second most.  At 33 years old, he was at an age when most pitchers started to decline, but, like most knuckleball pitchers, he was just hitting his prime.  We'll never know how his career might have turned out if he hadn't been banned after the 1920 season, but it's not a stretch to say he could've ended up in the Hall of Fame; after Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, he probably has the best Hall of Fame credentials of any banned players.

1917 National League - Grover Cleveland Alexander, Philadelphia Phillies

30-13, 1.83 ERA, 200 K

It's another easy win for Alexander, who was the best pitcher in the league for the third year in a row and nearly won the Triple Crown for the third year in a row, finishing second in ERA to Fred Anderson, who barely pitched enough innings to qualify for the title.  Once again, he led the league in shutouts, although he "only" had 8 - half as many as the previous year.  He was also the leader in complete games (34) and innings pitched (388).  This year was the third in a row (at least) that he led in wins, strikeouts, shutouts, complete games, and innings pitched, making it one of the best three year runs that any pitcher has ever had.