
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 26, 1994                   TAG: 9410270066
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: SPORTS   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

CY YOUNG A ROYAL COUP FOR CONE

David Cone, coming off the worst season of his career, bounced back to again beat out former teammate Jimmy Key in a close vote Tuesday for the AL Cy Young Award.

Cone, 16-5 with a 2.94 ERA for the Kansas City Royals, won the award despite not leading the league in any pitching category. Key, 17-4 with a 3.27 ERA for the New York Yankees, led the majors in wins.

Cone received 15 of 28 first-place votes and finished with 108 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Key got 10 first-place votes and 96 points.

Randy Johnson, 13-6 with a 3.19 ERA and a major league-leading 204 strikeouts for Seattle, received two first-place votes and finished third with 24 points. Mike Mussina, 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA for Baltimore, got one first-place vote and was fourth with 23 points.

Greg Maddux won his record third straight Cy Young with a unanimous victory in the NL voting Tuesday. The AL MVP will be announced Thursday.

Cone struck out 132 in 23 games before the players' strike started Aug. 12. Key fanned 97 in 24 games.

Cone and Key pitched together for the Toronto Blue Jays for the last two months of the 1992 season. Cone, acquired in late August in a trade from the New York Mets, bumped Key out of manager Cito Gaston's playoff rotation, making two starts while Key was left in the bullpen. Both Cone and Key left Toronto after the 1992 season.

by CNB