San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum won the NL Cy Young Award on Thursday for the second straight year, emerging from one of the tightest votes in the history of the honor to become the first repeat winner since Randy Johnson.
The wiry right-hander, nicknamed "The Freak" for his giant stride, needed only 15 victories to earn the award - the fewest for a Cy Young starter over a non-shortened season.
Lincecum led the NL with 261 strikeouts and tied for the league lead with four complete games and two shutouts.
Only 10 points separated the top three vote-getters. St. Louis teammates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright finished second and third, with Wainwright getting the most first-place votes.
The 2009 honors for Lincecum and Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke reflect a recent shift in how voters pick baseball's best pitchers. Wins, losses and ERA used to determine the Cy Young Award winner - now it's detailed statistics such as WHIP, FIP and BABIP.
Greinke equaled the previous low of 16 wins for a non-shortened season when he won the AL award Tuesday.
Diamondbacks trade for Heilman: Reliever Aaron Heilman was acquired Friday by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Chicago Cubs for two minor league prospects.
The 31-year-old right-hander was 4-4 with a 4.11 ERA in 70 appearances last season, striking out 65 and walking 34. He spent six seasons with the New York Mets before he was traded to Seattle last December, then was dealt to the Cubs a month later.
Chicago gets 24-year-old left-hander Scott Maine and 23-year-old infielder Ryne White. Maine, a sixth-round draft pick in 2007, was a combined 4-5 with seven saves and a 2.90 ERA with Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno last season. White, a fourth-round draft pick in 2008, hit .266 with 58 RBIs for Class A Visalia.
Alomar up for HOF: Roberto Alomar has career numbers that compare favorably with many of baseball's greatest second basemen. The question is whether one memorable lapse will impact his bid to make the Hall of Fame.
On the ballot for the first time, the 12-time All-Star's resume is impressive. He was a two-time World Series champion with Toronto and hit .300 with 210 homers, 1,134 RBIs and 474 stolen bases in 17 seasons.
But his stats have often been overshadowed by an incident in late 1996 when, after being called out on strikes, he spit in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck.
Alomar and Hirschbeck grew close after that episode.
"We became real good friends," Alomar said Thursday. "He forgave me, and I hope all the other people forgive me. Sometimes, we as human beings, we do stupid things. I regret doing that."
Pettitte, Tatis file: The Yankees' Andy Pettitte and the Mets' Fernando Tatis have become the final players to file for free agency this year.
The two players filed Thursday, the final day of the 15-day window following the World Series.
Tigers farmhand suspended: A minor leaguer in the Detroit Tigers organization has been suspended for 50 games after testing positive for an amphetamine under baseball's minor league drug program.
Double-A third baseman Ron Bourquin was penalized Thursday. He will serve the suspension at the start of next season.
