Clemens Wins His Third Cy Young Award

Boston Red Sox right-hander Roger Clemens, who led the league in earned-run average and strikeouts, collected his third Cy Young Award Wednesday, easily beating Minnesota’s Scott Erickson.

“It can only help me down the road to get to Cooperstown, and that’s what I’m working on,” Clemens said, looking ahead to his Hall of Fame possibilities. “I’ll go to work on a fourth one, because it means helping the ballclub.”

Clemens, who also won in 1986 and 1987, got 21 first-place votes, four seconds and two thirds for 119 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers Assn. of America.

Clemens, 18-10 this season with a 2.62 earned-run average and 241 strikeouts, became the fifth three-time Cy Young winner. Only Jim Palmer (1973-75-76) had done it in the American League. Steve Carlton won four in the National League, Tom Seaver three. Sandy Koufax is the only pitcher to win three Cy Young Awards when the award covered both leagues.