Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins was a unanimous choice for the American League Cy Young Award in balloting by the BBWAA. It marked the second time in the past three years that Santana has won this award by a unanimous vote.

Santana was listed first on all 28 ballots cast by two writers in each league city to score a perfect 140 points, based on the 5-3-1 tabulation system. He was the only pitcher on every ballot. The lefthander, 27, led the league in ERA (2.77), innings pitched (233 ⅔), strikeouts (245) and starts (34). He was tied for first in victories (19) and for the longest winning streak (9 games).

For the second consecutive year, a New York Yankees pitcher was the runnerup. Last year it was Mariano Rivera. This year it was righthander Chien-Ming Wang (19-6, 3.63 ERA), who scored 51 points based on 15 second-place votes and six thirds. Toronto Blue Jays righthander Roy Halladay, the winner in 2003, was second on 12 ballots and third on another 12 to finish third overall.

Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the only pitcher to win this award three times unanimously, and he did it when it was given to only one pitcher before voting in both leagues began in 1967. Santana is only the fourth pitcher overall and third in the AL to be unanimous twice. The others in the AL were Roger Clemens with the Boston Red Sox in 1986 and Toronto in 1998 and Pedro Martinez with Boston in 1999 and 2000. In the National League, Atlanta’s Greg Maddux was unanimous in 1994 and ’95.

This is the fourth Cy Young victory for a Minnesota pitcher. In addition to Santana in 2004, other Twins winners were Frank Viola in 1988 and Jim Perry in 1970.

The vote:

2006 AL Cy Young Award