Alexander finished fourth in the voting, behind Clemens, Jimmy Key,
and Dave Stewart. He began the season with the dismal Atlanta Braves,
and was 5-10 at the time of the trade. At age 36, the end seemed near...
but he was brilliant after joining the Tigers, and is possibly the greatest
mid-season acquisition ever made. But everything comes with a price; to get
Doyle, the Tigers traded away a young pitcher named John Smoltz.
I believe the best three pitchers in the league
were Clemens, Key, and Frank Viola. Viola did poorly in the vote, finishing
behind Stewart, Mark Langston, and Ted Higuera. I don't know why this was;
Viola had a great year, and led Minnesota to a division title. He later won
Game Seven of the World Series to give the Twins the championship.
There's not much to choose from between Clemens
and Key. Key had a slightly lower ERA, but Clemens had more wins, threw
seven shutouts, and completed half of his starts. I'll stick with Clemens
as the winner, followed by Key and Viola; for the number four spot, I have
to choose from among Alexander, his teammate Jack Morris, and Bret Saberhagen.
As wonderful as Alexander was, I think I will take Morris, who had one of his
best years, and was with the Tigers the whole season.
From 1984-85, Dave Stewart compiled an ugly
record of 7-20 with the Texas Rangers. After a brief stop in Philadelphia,
Stewart joined the Athletics in 1986, and his career turned around. At age 30,
Stewart had his first of four consecutive 20+ win seasons, aided by a new,
nasty forkball and a death-like stare on the mound.
