1948 Cy Young Awards

1948 American League - Gene Bearden, Cleveland Indians

20-7, 2.43 ERA, 80 K

Once again, it was a Cleveland pitcher who was the best pitcher in the league, but for once it wasn't Bob Feller.  Rookie Gene Bearden, who had previously pitched in one game in his entire MLB career, emerged as the best pitcher on a very talented staff that included Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, and Satchel Paige.  A wounded World War II veteran, he had to have part of his skull removed after being struck by shrapnel, yet he had a great rookie year, leading the league in ERA, ERA+ (168), and finishing second in wins and winning percentage.  Teammate Bob Lemon also had a great season, but I gave it to Bearden, who had fewer innings pitched than Lemon but also a substantially lower ERA.  Lemon did lead the league with an amazing 10 shutouts, but Bearden was no slouch either, finishing the season with six.   Bearden finished eighth in MVP voting, behind only Lemon among pitchers, and he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.  He was not chosen as an All Star, but at the end of the season, when the Indians and Red Sox finished the season tied for first, Cleveland manager Lou Boudreau didn't go with Bob Feller or Bob Lemon; he started Gene Bearden on one day's rest, and he responded by leading the Indians to the World Series, which they won over the Boston Braves.  It was the last time the Indians would win the World Series, and for Bearden it was the highlight of an otherwise unremarkable career; he bounced around to five different teams over the next five seasons, never winning more than eight games in a season; his career total of 45 wins was barely twice that of his win total in 1948.

1948 National League - Harry Brecheen, St. Louis Cardinals

20-7, 2.24 ERA, 149 K

This year had probably the least notable combination of winners with Gene Bearden and Harry Brecheen since the 1886 season, when the best pitchers in each league were Dave Foutz and Lady Baldwin.  However, Brecheen had a great season in the National League as part of an otherwise decent but undistinguished baseball career.  He led in two thirds of the Triple Crown, ERA and strikeouts, while finishing second to Johnny Sain in wins, and he also led in shutouts (7), WHIP (1.037), and ERA+ (182).  It was his sixth full season in the majors, and while he had posted some respectable seasons as one of the better pitchers in the league, 1948 was his only really great season.  It was his second year as an All Star, and his third season finishing in the top 20 for MVP voting, but he would never quite repeat his success, winning just 42 games in the next five seasons before retiring.