5 Incredible Feats In Jake Arrieta's Cy Young Season
By Chris Emma--
(CBS) There was no wrong choice in picking between the three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award. The 2015 seasons that Jake Arrieta, Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke compiled were astounding in their own ways.
But the vote reveal came Wednesday night, making it official: Arrieta received the honor as the NL's best pitcher.
Arrieta's case for the Cy Young was a second half of the season that set historical records and a big role in guiding the Cubs to the NLCS with his work every start. He went 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA, highlighted by a no-hitter on Aug. 30 against the Dodgers. He also pitched a complete game shutout in the NL wild-card game in Pittsburgh.
What Arrieta did in 2015 will be remembered for a long time, commemorated by the winning of the Cy Young. Let's look at five ways to summarize his dominance.
1.) The second half
Since the All-Star Game began in 1933, no qualifying pitcher in MLB history had compiled a second half like Arrieta, who went 12-1 with a 0.75 ERA, which lowest post-All-Star mark ever. Arrieta allowed just nine earned runs and two home runs in 107 1/3 innings in that span. During that time, Arrieta struck out 113 batters and walked just 22.
Arrieta didn't surrender a run in nine of the 15 starts after the All-Star break. His worst outing was on July 25 against the Phillies, in which he went six innings and allowed three earned runs, the day Cole Hamels threw a no-hitter against the Cubs. Arreita allowed only 55 hits in those 107.1 innings, including the no-hitter in Los Angeles. Perhaps Arrieta was well served by the All-Star break, because he was snubbed from the NL roster -- three months before the honor of NL Cy Young.
2.) Consistency is key
When Arrieta was on the mound, the Cubs could be confident in their chances of winning. He finished with a 22-6 record, and the Cubs won in 75.8 percent of the regular-season games he started.
Arrieta never once allowed more than four earned runs, and he gave up exactly three or four earned runs just eight times in 33 starts. On the season, he allowed zero runs or one earned run in 21 of his 33 starts, with that culminating in the remarkable second-half stretch.
3.) Down the stretch...
Arrieta took the mound for a Sunday night primetime game on Aug. 30 in Los Angeles and proved himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball for anyone who didn't know it. He no-hit the Dodgers in spectacular fashion, then picked up from there.
Starting with the no-hitter on Aug. 30 until the regular season's end, Arrieta allowed just two earned runs in 55 innings of work. During that run, he faced 190 batters and allowed just 22 hits and five walks, while striking out 58 hitters. Arrieta went 6-0 with an 0.33 ERA in his final seven starts of the season.
4.) By the metrics
Sabermetrics offer the advanced look at an individual performer, separating the variables that could influence regular statistics. The metrics, of course, further prove Arrieta's spectacular season.
Arrieta finished with a 7.3 WAR, second among pitchers behind only Kershaw. He recorded a 2.35 FIP, also second to Kershaw, and compied a .246 BABIP (batting average on balls in play), which included 56.2 percent ground ball rate. Arrieta has the ability to mow down batters, but he was effective in pitching to contact, too
5.) The no-hitter
For all the highlights of Arrieta's special season, the no-hitter against the Dodgers will stand out above all else. It was the signature moment of a Cy Young season.
Arrieta threw 116 pitches, including 80 for strikes. He struck out 12 hitters. In that performance, Arrieta threw a first-pitch strike to 17 of the 29 hitters he faced and induced 21 swinging strikes and 18 called strikes. The final out came on a breaking ball to Chase Utley, as he struck out the side in the ninth inning for the no-hitter.
