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A22 SPORTS
Friday 15 November 2019
Astros’ Verlander, Mets’ deGrom

win 2nd Cy Young Awards

Baseball Writers’ Associa- his Hall of Fame resume by won more games. They are
tion of America revealed getting his 3,000th strikeout the first set of teammates
Wednesday night. Verland- in his final start of the regu- to finish 1-2 in AL voting —
er got 17 first-place votes to lar season. He also reached it’s happened five times in
13 for Cole, who became a 300 punchouts in a season the NL. Verlander and Cole
free agent after the sea- for the first time. pitched Houston to the
son. Verlander no-hit Toronto on World Series, where Cole
Mets ace Jacob deGrom Sept. 1, becoming the sixth continued to dominate
won the NL prize for the pitcher with three no-hitters while Verlander faltered.
In this July 24, 2019, file photo, Houston Astros starting pitcher second straight year. He in a career. He joined a The right-hander lost twice
Justin Verlander, above, throws to an Oakland Athletics batter received 29 of 30 first-place group that includes Hall of to the champion Washing-
during a baseball game in Houston; and in this Sept. 9, 2019, votes, becoming the 11th Famers Nolan Ryan, Sandy ton Nationals — a letdown
file photo, New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, be- pitcher to win Cy Youngs Koufax, Bob Feller and Cy not factored in voting that
low, winds up during the first inning of the team's baseball game
against the Arizona Diamondbacks in New York. in consecutive years. He Young, along with 1880s concluded before the
Associated Press and Verlander are the 20th pitcher Larry Corcoran. postseason began.
and 21st players to win the Forget about slowing down He’s hoping to take anoth-
award multiple times. — Verlander’s goal this er run at a title — with Cole
The 36-year-old Verlander offseason is to add veloc- — next season.
won his first Cy Young in ity to his top-end fastball. "I know that Gerrit had a
2011 with Detroit, when He’s thinking about using great time playing here
he was also named MVP. weighted balls and other and I know he would like
Since then, he’d been a new-age throwing tech- to return, if possible,” Ver-
runner-up three times. niques. lander said. “But that is now
“The adversity I went “I will always try to push the on Gerrit and his family and
through puts a new per- boundaries of what I can people above me.”
spective on everything,” he do,” Verlander said. “If my Tampa Bay Rays righty
said. “I mean, still would’ve body says, ‘Hold on, you Charlie Morton finished
liked to have won a couple can’t do that anymore,’ third a year after leaving
of them.” then I’ll pull back.” Houston in free agency.
Verlander continued a The case between Ver- DeGrom is in special com-
marvelous second act to lander and Cole was tight. pany as a repeat NL win-
NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Cooperstown. his career since a 2017 Cole had more strikeouts ner, joining Koufax, Greg
Verlander has a second AL Verlander beat out Hous- trade from Detroit to Hous- (326) and a lower ERA Maddux, Randy Johnson,
Cy Young Award — and a ton Astros teammate Ger- ton. He led the majors with (2.50), but Verlander threw Tim Lincecum, Clayton Ker-
clear path paved toward rit Cole in balloting by the 21 victories and padded 10 2/3 more innings and shaw and Max Scherzer.q

Celtics F Hayward: Latest injury ‘frustrating’

By JIMMY GOLEN looking away in horror, and fore the latest injury.
AP Sports Writer Hayward took a year or so “Yeah, it’s frustrating.
BOSTON (AP) — Boston before he was even willing There’s no doubt about
Celtics forward Gordon to watch it on videotape. it,” he said. “Felt like we
Hayward said he considers But this one he watched were building some good
it “relatively good news” right away — if only to see momentum as a team, as
that his latest injury is only what went wrong. well as me individually. So
expected to keep him out “When you watch it in slow the timing of it, definitely
for six weeks, even though it motion, it’s like ‘What hap- frustrating. All things con-
struck just as he was return- pened?’ Like, I don’t think sidered, I think it’s not that
ing to form from the broken anything even should have bad.”
leg that cost him almost a happened. It doesn’t look Another difference be-
full season. like it’s that bad at all,” he tween his last injury and this
“It’s a drop in the bucket, said. “It was just a random one is that Hayward will be
for sure,” Hayward said on play. Sometimes that’s bas- able to run and maintain
Wednesday night before Injured Boston Celtics player Gordon Hayward watches from ketball.” his conditioning while he
the bench during the second quarter of the team's NBA basket-
watching from the bench ball game against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Nov. Hayward, 29, returned waits for his hand to heal.
in street clothes as Boston 13, 2019, in Boston. last season and played in Last time, he was forced to
beat the Wizards 140-133. Associated Press 72 games, most of them shoot baskets from a chair,
“Just happy that it shouldn’t off the bench, and aver- and practice picking things
be that long. Obviously day night’s game against I heard it, and felt it and aged 11.5 points and 4.5 up with his toes to regain his
frustrated. It sucks watch- the San Antonio Spurs. The knew something immedi- rebounds — far short of his dexterity.
ing and not being able to Boston forward had surgery ately was wrong.” numbers before the injury. Hayward said the doctors
go out there and play, es- Monday. Hayward missed all but He had been closer to his put a pin and a plate in his
pecially with the start that “You always think about five minutes of the 2017- peak performance in the hand, which will make it
we’ve had.” the worst-case scenario, 18 season after breaking first seven games this sea- stronger and help him heal
Hayward broke his hand and certainly on the play I his leg in the first quarter of son, averaging 19 points, faster. He isn’t sure on his
when he collided with La- didn’t know exactly what the opener. The gruesome four assists and a career- timetable to begin shoot-
Marcus Aldridge in Satur- happened,” he said. “But injury left his teammates high seven rebounds be- ing again.q