This Week in Baseball History: November 6-12

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This Week’s Memorable Moments:

November 6, 1974: A Reliever Wins the Cy Young for the 1st Time

Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers made history by becoming the first relief pitcher to ever win the Cy Young Award.

Marshall set major league records with 106 appearances and 208 innings pitched in relief during the season, demonstrating exceptional endurance and effectiveness from the bullpen.

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November 7, 1967: Cepeda Gets a Unanimous N.L. MVP Vote

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Orlando Cepeda of the St. Louis Cardinals achieved a milestone in baseball history by being the first player unanimously selected as the National League MVP since Carl Hubbell did it in 1936.

Cepeda hit .325 with 25 homers and led the league with 111 RBI that season. He also brought the Cardinals to a World Series win over the Red Sox in seven games to clinch the franchise's second title of the 1960s.

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November 8, 1966: A Triple Crown Winner Snags MVP in the Same Season

After winning the Triple Crown with the Baltimore Orioles, Frank Robinson was unanimously chosen as the American League Most Valuable Player that same season. He led the AL in home runs (49), RBI (122) and batting average (.316) along with on-base percentage (.410), slugging percentage (.637), runs scored (122) and total bases (367).

After retirement, Robinson also became the first African-American manager in big league history in 1975 with the Indians and managed in the majors for 16 seasons with the Indians, Giants, Orioles, Expos, and Nationals.

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November 10, 1965: Mays Locks Up a Stellar MVP Season

Bowman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants was named the National League Most Valuable Player, capping off a season where he led the league with 52 home runs and 112 RBIs.

Mays’ charismatic play and phenomenal statistics solidified his status as one of baseball’s all-time greats.

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November 11, 1981: A Rookie Wins the Cy Young for the First Time

Tony Barnard, Los Angeles Times, via Wikimedia Commons

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela made history as the first rookie to win the Cy Young Award, having led the National League in strikeouts with 180.

Valenzuela’s achievement signaled the rise of a new pitching star and underscored the potential impact of rookie players in Major League Baseball.

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November 12, 1997: ‘The Kid’ is the Unanimous A.L. MVP Choice

Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners was unanimously selected as the American League Most Valuable Player, a testament to his stellar season where he hit .304, led the AL with 56 home runs, and topped the majors with 147 RBIs.

He had finished SO CLOSE to winning MVP in previous seasons, coming in fourth in 1996, second in 1994, and fifth in 1993.

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