1955 Cy Young Awards

1955 American League - Billy Pierce, Chicago White Sox

15-10, 1.97 ERA, 157 K

The American League in 1955 was not exactly a pitcher-friendly place to be.  The league leader in wins had just 18, the league average ERA was 3.96, and only one pitcher finished in the top 13 for MVP voting, and it wasn't Billy Pierce.  In fact, Pierce's 15-10 record doesn't exactly scream Cy Young Award winner, nor does his third place 157 strikeouts.  However, what really stands out, and what makes him the best candidate for a retroactive Cy Young Award, was his 1.97 ERA.  No pitcher in either league had finished a season with a lower ERA since Hal Newhouser in 1946, and nobody else would do it again until Sandy Koufax in 1963.  It's unfortunate for Pierce that his two best seasons, 1953 and 1955, both happened just before the Cy Young Award started in 1956; otherwise, he could've easily won the award in both of those years.

1955 National League - Robin Roberts, Philadelphia Phillies

23-14, 3.28 ERA, 160 K

This was a close call between Robin Roberts and Don Newcombe, but I decided to give it to Roberts because he and Newcombe had very similar numbers in rate stats like ERA, and WHIP, but Roberts pitched 71.1 more innings.  As I've said before, if there is a pitcher with a slightly higher ERA but far more innings pitched, I am more likely to choose him over the other pitcher.  Roberts also led the league in wins, and finished fifth in ERA and second in WHIP (1.131).  He also led the league in complete games with 26, 9 more than anyone else, although surprisingly only one of those was a shutout.  It was the last truly great season for Roberts, who eventually won 286 games in a Hall of Fame career.  Unfortunately for him, his last great season was also the last season before the Cy Young Award began, so he never had the opportunity to receive formal recognition for being the best pitcher in the league.