Houston pitcher named baseball’s top lefty
OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 16, 2015 – Houston Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel today was named as the winner of the 2015 Warren Spahn Award.
Presented annually to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB), the Warren Spahn Award is based on a pitcher’s wins, strikeouts and earned run average. The award is named after Oklahoman and National Baseball Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, who holds the MLB record of 363 wins as a left-handed pitcher.
Keuchel posted impressive numbers during the 2015 regular season, including 20 wins, a 2.48 earned run average and 216 strikeouts. He pitched 232 innings for the Astros.
Keuchel will be formally recognized Jan. 28, 2016, during the Warren Spahn Award Gala at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame & Jim Thorpe Museum. The event is hosted by Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Rotary Club in conjunction with the Jim Thorpe Association.
“This award means everything to me,” said Keuchel. “Being from Oklahoma, I am very fond of the legacy that Mr. Spahn has. I am very humbled to be in such great company and it’s something I will hold dear for the rest of my life.”
An Oklahoma native, Keuchel played college baseball at the University of Arkansas.
“I am ecstatic that Dallas Keuchel, an Oklahoman, wins my father’s award,” said Greg Spahn, son of the late Warren Spahn. “Dallas was the winningest lefty of the 2015 season, a truly breakthrough year for him and a much-deserved award.”
The pitcher adds the Warren Spahn Award to an already impressive list of 2015 honors including a Rawlings Gold Glove and MLB Players Choice Outstanding Pitcher Award. He was selected to All-Star Game and has been named a finalist for the Cy Young Award.
“Dallas had an amazing year on the mound,” said Bill Hickman, Warren Spahn Award Gala chairman. “We’re excited to be honoring a fellow Oklahoman with this prestigious award and congratulate him on his success. Dallas joins an impressive list of pitchers who have won the award in the past, putting him alongside some of baseball’s best.”
“Farmers Insurance is pleased to once again join Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Rotary Club in honoring baseball’s outstanding left-handed pitcher,” said Chris Meredith, director of government and industry affairs. “The Warren Spahn Award Gala not only recognizes baseball’s best, but serves to highlight the important programs and services Bricktown Rotary supports throughout the year.”
Ticket information and sponsorship opportunities for the January gala can be found at www.okcspahnawards.com, or by contacting Hickman at 405.605.2375.
Past Warren Spahn Award winners include: Clayton Kershaw (2014, 2013, 2011), Gio Gonzales (2012); David Price (2010); CC Sabathia (2007–2009); Johan Santana (2006, 2004); Dontrelle Willis (2005); Andy Pettitte (2003); and Randy Johnson (1999–2002).