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Karl Ravech: Welcome back to Baseball Tonight, everybody! Let’s head out west where the mound was owned, dominated, and downright ruled by one man in 2001: Manny Martinez, the ace of the Vancouver Canucks rotation, and now officially your Western Conference Pitcher of the Year.
Eduardo Perez: Ravy, this guy was a machine. I mean, you look at the numbers: 19 wins, just 4 losses, 34 starts, and 247.1 innings pitched. He struck out 242 batters and carried a rock-solid 3.31 ERA through the season. That's not just good—that’s dominant.
Tim Kurkjian (chuckling): And let me add this—he did it all without missing a beat. You knew when Martinez took the hill, you were in for seven, eight, maybe even nine innings of quality pitching. He led the Canucks staff with poise, pace, and power, and the voters? They noticed. Unanimous selection—36 first-place votes!
Karl Ravech: And the competition wasn’t light. Dave Schultz of the Minnesota Wild had a strong campaign, finishing second in voting, and Hyogo Gushiken in Dallas came in third. But nobody came close to Manny’s grip on the award this year.
Eduardo Perez: I’ll tell you what made him special: command. He wasn’t walking guys, he was working fast, and he didn’t let a big moment get to him. That 3.31 ERA? In a hitter-friendly Western Conference? That’s elite.
Tim Kurkjian: And this could be just the beginning. If Martinez builds on this season, we could be talking about him in Cy Young territory in the near future.
Karl Ravech: So there you have it. Manny Martinez—a unanimous call from the voters, and a no-doubter for us here at the desk. The Canucks have their ace, the West has its Pitcher of the Year, and hitters? They’ve got a problem going into 2002.
[Cue highlight reel of Martinez striking out batters, walking off the mound, and high-fiving teammates]
Karl Ravech: We’ve got more award news coming up, but when we come back—did Jon Smith win over Montreal fans and the media? That story next. You're watching Baseball Tonight.
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