In a season where pitching almost carried them to the pennant, it was only fitting that Joe Horlen was the White Sox player who received the most votes in balloting for the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1967.
Results of the voting, which had Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski capturing the award, were released on this date by the Baseball Writers Association of America on this date (Nov. 15) in 1967.
Horlen, who was 19-7 with a 2.06 ERA and a league-best six shutouts, finished fourth with 91 points.
It was the highest finish by a Sox player in the MVP voting since fellow pitcher Eddie Fisher also took fourth two years earlier. The last time a Sox pitcher finished higher in this vote was when Early Wynn took third in 1959.
Even though Horlen was the pitcher who received the most points in this contest, it would be Boston’s Jim Lonborg who would win the 1967 Cy Young Award. Lonborg took sixth here and won the Cy Young balloting by garnering 18 of the 20 votes. Horlen netted the other two votes.
Pitcher Gary Peters and shortstop Ron Hansen also received MVP votes in a season that saw the White Sox finished fourth, three games out of first place, despite a .225 team batting average.