The 1966 season marked the end of the era of one Cy Young Award per year.
Appropriately, Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers won his third and final award in what turned out to be his last season.
The Sporting News had been dividing its honors by league since 1948. In 1966, Minnesota’s Jim Kaat was named the American League Pitcher of the Year.
Currently, there is some discussion about Kaat’s worthiness for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. If there had been two awards in 1966, would that add to his resume for induction? The honor isn’t a guarantee, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt his chances.
Kaat led the Al with a 25-13 record, 41 starts, 19 complete games and 304.2 innings. Finishing fifth the AL Most Valuable Player balloting, he made his second of three all-star teams and won his fifth of 16 Gold Gloves.
From August 11 to September 9, Kaat won eight straight starts as he completed six of them. His overall record went from 16-9 to 23-9.
Perhaps his top performance came during that stretch on August 27 when he blanked the Chicago White Sox 1-0 on three hits with seven strikeouts for his 20th victory of the season.
The lefty’s final win of the season came at home on September 25 as the held Detroit to four hits in a 1-0 shutout. It was his ninth complete game in which he allowed one run or less.
The Michigan native finished his 25-year career with a 283-237 record. Kaat began is time in the big leagues with the Washington Senators in 1959 and 1960. He made the move with the team to Minnesota and played with the Twins until 1973 when the White Sox picked him up off waivers.
In the 1965 World Series, Kaat went 1-2 as the Twins fell to the Dodgers in seven games. He also lost his only start in the 1970 AL Championship Series to Baltimore.
While with the White Sox, Kaat was 21-13 in 1974 and 20-14 the following season. He was an all-star in 1975 and was fourth in the Cy Young vote.
Before 1976, Kaat was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He made a start in the NL Championship Series against the Cincinnati Reds, but didn’t get a decision.
The New York Yankees purchased Kaat early in the 1979 season and then sold to the St. Louis Cardinals in April of 1980.
During the 1982 season, Kaat made 62 appearances as a 44-year old for the world champion Cardinals. He pitched in four games in the 1982 World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers and would retire the following year.
1966 VOTING FOR CY YOUNG AWARD
Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers) 20, unanimous
PRESS ROOM PASS CY YOUNG AWARD WINNERS (1956-1966)
1956 – Billy Pierce Chicago White Sox (20-9)
1957 – Jim Bunning Detroit Tigers (20–8)
1958 – Warren Spahn Milwaukee Braves (22–11)
1959 – Sam Jones San Francisco Giants (21–15)
1960 – Chuck Estrada Baltimore Orioles (18-11)
1961 – Joey Jay Cincinnati Reds (21–10)
1962 – Dick Donovan Cleveland Indians (20–10)
1963 – Whitey Ford New York Yankees (24-7)
1964 – Larry Jackson Chicago Cubs (24–11)
1965 – Mudcat Grant Minnesota Twins (21–7)
1966 – Jim Kaat Minnesota Twins (25–13)
CY YOUNG AWARD WINNERS (1956-1966)
1956 – Don Newcombe Brooklyn Dodgers (27–7)
1957 – Warren Spahn Milwaukee Braves (21–11)
1958 – Bob Turley New York Yankees (21–7)
1959 – Early Wynn Chicago White Sox (22–10)
1960 – Vern Law Pittsburgh Pirates (20–9)
1961 – Whitey Ford New York Yankees (25–4)
1962 – Don Drysdale Los Angeles Dodgers (25–9)
1963 – Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers (25–5)
1964 – Dean Chance Los Angeles Angels (20–9)
1965 – Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers (26–8)
1966 – Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers (27–9)
Since 1967, the Cy Young Award has been handed out to the best pitcher in the American and National leagues. However, during the first 11 years of the award there was only one winner.
This series will take a look at who might have won the award, if there had been winners in both leagues in the early years.