1942 American League - Tex Hughson, Boston Red Sox
22-6, 2.59 ERA, 133 K
This was the first year that World War II affected Major League Baseball, and in the AL this was evident by the fact that the two best pitchers in the league were Tex Hughson and Tiny Bonham, two otherwise mediocre pitchers who benefited greatly from the reduced talent pool. Regardless though, Hughson was the better of the two (slightly), leading the league in wins and strikeouts, and finishing sixth in ERA. However, he also led the league in innings pitched (281.0), and as I have mentioned before, I am more likely to defer to pitchers who have a slightly higher ERA but far more innings pitched. He ended up finishing sixth in MVP voting, the second highest ranked pitcher just behind Bonham, but I think Hughson was probably the marginally better player; among other things, he led the league in WAR with 5.7, over Bonham's seventh place 3.7. And for the record, Tiny Bonham was not exactly tiny; he was listed as 6'2" and 215 pounds. Tex Hughson, however, was from Texas, so I'll give him extra credit for having a nickname that actually makes sense.
1942 National League - Mort Cooper, St. Louis Cardinals
22-7, 1.78 ERA, 152 K
Speaking of pitchers who benefited from the better players being away at war. He was barely an above average player both before and after the war, but from 1942-1944, he looked like Walter Johnson. He was an All Star twice in that period, finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting all three seasons, and in 1942 was voted the NL MVP. He led the league in wins, ERA, ERA+ (192), shutouts (10), and WHIP (0.987), so there was little doubt that he was the best pitcher in the league, and the best in the majors in 1942. He led the Cardinals to a World Series title, and he finished miles ahead of any other pitcher in MVP voting.
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