Steve Blass 1972 Cy Young Award

Lore & Background

Steve Blass arrived in Pittsburgh in 1971 with a reputation for an almost comically relaxed delivery—elbow high, shoulders loose, the ball seemingly released from the tips of his fingers rather than the full torque of his arm. By 1972 he had become the centerpiece of a Pirates rotation that was arguably the best in the National League. His 21 wins and 2.03 ERA were not just numbers on a stat sheet; they represented a season in which the Pirates' pitching staff made the opposing lineup feel like it was swinging at air. The Cy Young voters recognized what the fans at Three Rivers already knew: Blass was the heart of the staff, the guy who could work six, seven, eight innings and leave with his shoulder barely warmed.

The legend that grew around Blass was as much about personality as performance. The so-called "Blass Curse" became a ritual: a reporter would lean in and say, "Steve, you're twenty-one and ten," and the next day Blass would lose. It was half joke, half genuine superstition, and it gave the Pirates' fanbase a shared inside narrative that no other team could claim. Blass himself played along, grinning, never acknowledging the curse directly but never denying it either.

In the broader arc of Pirates history, Blass's 1972 season sits alongside the 1971 and 1979 World Series teams as one of the franchise's defining pitching achievements. He was the first Pirates pitcher to win the Cy Young, a distinction that linked his name permanently to the club's identity. Even after his career wound down in the late 1970s, the image of Blass on the mound—loose, smiling, throwing a fastball that looked effortless—remained a touchstone for what the Pirates' pitching philosophy could be at its best.

In Their Own Story

The afternoon sun was low over Three Rivers Stadium, painting the outfield grass in amber. Blass stood on the mound in the sixth inning, his cap pulled slightly back, and he looked less like a major-leaguer than a guy who'd just wandered off a picnic. The runner on second tapped his foot. The count was two-and-one. Blass took a breath, his elbow rose in that familiar, almost accidental arc, and the ball left his hand with a soft, lazy spin. The batter swung through it. Blass didn't even look up. He just adjusted his cap, smiled at the catcher, and waited for the next pitch. The crowd in the upper deck was laughing, clapping, that particular Pittsburgh noise that means the game is exactly as it should be. Somewhere in the press box, a reporter was already writing, "Blass, you're twenty-one and ten," and the whole building knew what that meant. Blass knew too. He just kept throwing.

Reader's Guide

The 1972 National League Cy Young Award was presented to Steve Blass, right-handed starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Blass finished the season with a 21–10 record and a 2.03 ERA, leading the National League in wins and anchoring a Pirates staff that helped the club capture the NL East title. The award recognized a season in which Blass routinely worked deep into games, mixing a loose, high-elbow fastball with a changeup that hitters simply could not track.

The narrative moment that made the season memorable was the daily ritual of the "Blass Curse": reporters would publicly state his record, and Blass would lose the following start. The superstition became a beloved fixture of Pirates baseball, a shared joke between the pitcher, the press, and the fans at Three Rivers Stadium. It humanized an otherwise statistical achievement and gave the 1972 Pirates a personality beyond the standings.

Blass's Cy Young also marked a franchise first—he was the first Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher to win the award, a distinction that tied his name to the club's legacy as a team defined by its pitching. In a decade that produced the 1971 and 1979 World Series teams, Blass's 1972 season stood as the individual-pitching high-water mark of the era.

Did You Know?

• Steve Blass was the first Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher to win the National League Cy Young Award.
• The 'Blass Curse'—losing the game after a reporter publicly stated his win-loss record—became a beloved ritual in Pirates baseball, with Blass himself playing along with a grin.
• Blass's delivery was famously loose and unorthodox; he reportedly threw with a high elbow and a relaxed arm, making his fastball look almost effortless to the naked eye.
• The 1972 Pirates, powered by Blass and the rest of their rotation, won the National League East division that season.