Lee was the favorite going into the voting. For you soccer fans out there, the Cy Young award is named after Cy Young. He pitched from 1890 to 1911 and holds the record for most wins at 511. Today 300 wins is considered extraordinary. Coincidentally he pitched in Cleveland from 1890-1898 but the team was called the "Spiders".
Indians pitching coach Carl Willis saw it in Cliff Lee's first bullpen session in spring training at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Fla. Every pitch Lee threw -- fastball, cutter, curveball, slider and change up -- came from the same motion and the same release point.
"I told Cliff after that session, 'That's what we're talking about,'" said Willis.
Today, 10 months later, it's one of the biggest reasons why the Baseball Writers Association of America voted Lee the American League 2008 Cy Young winner this afternoon. Lee finished with 132 points, followed by Toronto's Roy Halladay.
Lee received 24 of 28 first-place votes. Halladay received four first-place votes and 71 points. Two BBWAA members in every AL city voted for the top three pitchers in the league.
More here-
http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2008/11/not_ready_lee.html
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