The Philadelphia Phillies’ Roy Halladay added another victory to an almost perfect season Tuesday, unanimously winning the NL Cy Young Award and becoming the fifth pitcher to earn the honor in both leagues.
“It’s by far the most fun I’ve ever had playing this game,” he said on a conference call from Mexico, where he was golfing with Phillies teammate Mike Sweeney, Cardinals star Chris Carpenter and pitcher Chris Young.
“It was everything I hoped it would be,” Halladay said.
In a year highlighted by great pitching, he became the only one ever to throw a perfect game and no-hitter in the same season.
Halladay was an easy choice after going 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA and 219 strikeouts. He led the league in wins and topped the majors in innings (250 2/3), shutouts (4) and complete games (9).
Halladay received all 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Adam Wainwright of St. Louis was second, and Ubaldo Jimenez of Colorado was third. San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum, who won the past two NL Cy Youngs, finished 11th.
“It’s surprising,” Halladay said. “There could have been a lot of cases made, strong cases.”
This year’s AL Cy Young Award winner will be announced Thursday.
Acquired from Toronto last December, Halladay quickly adjusted to a new league and added to the 2003 AL Cy Young he won with the Blue Jays.
Halladay threw a perfect game at Florida on May 29, then tossed a no-hitter against Cincinnati in his postseason debut.
Voting for the award ended after the regular season. Three days later, Halladay completely overmatched the Reds, the top-hitting team in the NL, in their playoff opener.
Halladay split a pair of matchups with Lincecum in the NL championship series. The Giants won in six games, blunting the Phillies’ bid to reach the World Series for the third straight year.
“We fell short,” he said. “That part is definitely tough.”
Halladay’s seven-year gap between Cy Youngs ties the longest in history, matching Tom Glavine.
“To be able to do it again after so long,” he said, “means a lot to me.”
Halladay joined Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and Gaylord Perry as pitchers to earn the award in both leagues.
He credited catcher Carlos Ruiz, pitcher Jamie Moyer, pitching coach Rich Dubee and others for making his transition to the Phillies and the NL a smooth one.
“I was definitely worried about going to a new team,” he said, adding he wondered: “How different are the leagues going to be?”
His assessment of the NL: “More of a strategic game.”
Halladay became the 13th pitcher to unanimously win the NL Cy Young and the 16th multiple winner, a list headed by Clemens’ seven and Johnson’s five. Steve Carlton and Greg Maddux each won four times.
The Cy Young started in 1956. Through the 1966 season, there was just one selection from both leagues.
 
—-
Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at [email protected]