1949 Cy Young Awards

1949 American League - Mel Parnell, Boston Red Sox

25-7, 2.77 ERA, 122 K

As previously mentioned, the Cincinnati Reds are one of only two current teams that have existed since 1901 or earlier that have not yet had a pitcher win at least 200 games for them.  The other team is the Red Sox, whose all-time wins leaders are Cy Young and Roger Clemens, with 192 each.  Next comes Tim Wakefield with 186, and after that it drops steeply to 123, which is Mel Parnell's win total.  He didn't have a long career, but for five seasons from 1949 to 1953 he was one of the best pitchers in the league, and in 1949 he was the best.  He led the league in wins and innings pitched (295.1), which are two statistics that often go hand in hand.  However, he also finished second in ERA (to a pitcher with over 100 fewer innings), second in ERA+ (158), and second in winning percentage, behind teammate Ellis Kinder.  Everyone knows that 1949 was the year that kicked off the Yankees' first of five consecutive World Series titles, but even Red Sox fans tend to forget how good Boston was back then.  After winning the AL pennant in 1946, the Red Sox finished one game out of first place in both 1948 and 1949, and this year Mel Parnell and Ellis Kinder had a lot to do with the close finish; together they had a record of 48-13, but they ended up a game back of the Yankees.

1949 National League - Warren Spahn, Boston Braves

21-14, 3.07 ERA, 151 K

This was a tough call between Spahn and 1946 winner Howie Pollett, but I decided to give it to Spahn on the basis of his greater number of innings pitched (302.1 to Pollett's 230.2).  Pollett did have a better ERA, but Spahn pitched more innings, and he led the league in wins and strikeouts.  Overall, it was one of those years when nobody stood out as amazing, so it was more a matter of finding a pitcher who had a good balance of all of the stats.  Interestingly, although Spahn had a higher ERA, he had a lower WHIP at 1.221, and by far the most complete games (25).  As far as I know, this is the first year that there have been winners from both Boston teams, although it was the 1948 season when it was nearly a Boston v. Boston World Series; the Braves won the NL pennant in 1948, and the Red Sox lost a one-game playoff against the Indians.  They would never face each other in the World Series, though, neither before the Braves moved, nor since.