Phillies History: Taking a Look Back on Phillies Cy Young Winners
By John Town
1987 Cy Young Award Winner Steve Bedrosian
The Phillies brought home four of the Cy Young Awards handed out in the 1980s. Steve Bedrosian was the only reliever in Phillies history to win the Cy Young and is just one of nine relievers to ever win the award.
At age 29, Bedrosian led the major-leagues in saves with 40. That year, he went 40-for-48 in save opportunities, good for an 83.3% save percentage. Bedrosian finished the year with a 2.83 ERA and 1.202 WHIP in 65 appearances.
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Bedrosian won the award in a highly contested fashion. He received just nine of 24 first-place votes and appeared on just 48% of all ballots. Bedrosian wound up winning the award by just two points, with him, Rick Sutcliffe, and Rick Reuschel all finishing within three points of each other.
In 1987, Bedrosian was just two years removed from making 37 starts with the Braves. He started his career as a reliever, finishing 7th in Rookie of the Year voting in 1982. Atlanta experimented with Bedrosian as a full-time starter in 1985, finishing with his highest ERA in a full major-league season until 1990.
The Phillies then converted Bedrosian back to a reliever in 1986 after trading for him, where he served as the team’s closer until he was traded to the Giants in 1989.