NEW YORK - Cliff Lee won the American League Cy Young Award in a runaway on Thursday, capping a dominant comeback season that made him the second consecutive Cleveland Indians lefty to earn the honour.
Demoted to the minors last year, Lee went a major league-best 22-3 this season with a 2.54 ERA. He received 24 of 28 first-place votes and 132 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Toronto ace Roy Halladay was a distant runner-up with four first-place votes and 71 points. Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Angels finished third with 32 points.
Lee became the third Cleveland pitcher to win the Cy Young, following Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972 and CC Sabathia last year.
Trudging through a disappointing season and cognizant of budget constraints, the injury-depleted Indians traded Sabathia to Milwaukee on July 7. He is expected to fetch a huge contract this off-season after filing for free agency.
An 18-game winner in 2005, Lee was hurt in spring training last year and struggled so badly he was sent to the minors. He returned to the big leagues and finished 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA, then was left off Cleveland's post-season roster.
Determined to re-establish himself, Lee won a spot in the rotation during spring training and was the league's top pitcher from April on. He was 12-2 with a 2.31 ERA when he started for the AL in the July 15 all-star game at Yankee Stadium.
Pitching for an inconsistent team that rallied late to finish 81-81, Lee was a mark of consistency. Confident in his pinpoint fastball, he walked only 34 batters in 31 starts and suddenly went from No. 5 starter to ace.
The 30-year-old Lee led the AL in ERA and ranked second in innings (223 1-3) and complete games (four). Halladay, the 2003 AL Cy Young winner, topped those two categories with 246 innings and nine complete games. The right-hander also was 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA, second in the league. He piled up 206 strikeouts to Lee's 170.
Still, Lee was a heavy favourite to win Thursday. The only question seemed to be whether the vote would be unanimous.
Lee became the first Cleveland pitcher to win 20 games since Perry in 1974, and his surprising comeback was crucial for a team that was hurt by injuries to starters Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook.
Lee received a US$250,000 bonus for winning, and the price of Cleveland's 2010 club option increased from $8 million to $9 million. Halladay got $200,000 for finishing second.
Rodriguez, who set a major league mark with 62 saves this season, was listed second on seven ballots and third on 11.
