Q: Why won’t Johan Santana win the Cy Young Award?
— Chris, Minneapolis

A: I’m not so sure that he won’t, Chris. Although Bartolo Colon and Mariano Rivera appear to be the leading candidates, you can make a very strong case for Santana, and it won’t surprise me if he wins the award for the second consecutive season. For certain, he’ll finish in the top three. The argument for Santana is this: He was the runaway leader in strikeouts with 238, 27 more than runner-up Randy Johnson. Santana also finished second in the league in ERA, just .01 behind Kevin Millwood at 2.87, and second in the league in innings pitched at 231.2, just five behind Mark Buehrle. Santana also had the best ratio of hits allowed per innings pitched (only 180 hits in 231.2 innings), and the best ratio of walks and hits per innings pitched — arguably the best indicator of a pitcher’s dominance. What will hold him back, of course, is he finished five wins behind Colon, plus the fact that the Twins finished a disappointing third.

Q: Why was Aaron Small left out of the Yankees’ postseason starting rotation? His performance during the season speaks for itself.
— Ernest Badman, Dayton, Ohio

A: I’m sure it was a tough call for Joe Torre, but in this case, I think Small’s versatility worked against him. Small is quite capable of coming out of the bullpen on short notice and pitching effectively in middle relief, while we know Shawn Chacon failed as a closer in Colorado, and Chien-Ming Wang hasn’t had much experience in the pen. Given Torre’s track record, I’m not going to question him. He knows his staff better than anyone.

Q: I know Tsuyoshi Shinjo became the first Japanese-born player to play in the World Series, but will Chien-Ming Wang be the first Taiwanese-born player to play in the World Series if the Yankees make it that far?
— Matt, Chattanooga, Tenn.

A: Unless I’m missing somebody, the list of Taiwanese-born big-leaguers includes only four players — Wang, Dodgers outfielder Chin-Feng Chen, Dodgers reliever Hong-Chih Kuo and Rockies pitcher Chin-Hue Tsao. None have appeared in a playoff game yet, let alone a World Series. So yes, Wang would be the first if the Yankees get there.

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