and The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award, and came in 9th in the AL MVP voting. Stone's relief pitchers did not blow a save for him all season until his last start of the year. He led the league in wins (his 25 wins set a team record) and won-lost percentage, and was second in games started (37), seventh in ERA (3.23), strikeouts (149), hits allowed/9 IP (8.04), and hit batsmen (6), and ninth in innings pitched (250.7). He also won the American League June 1980 Pitcher of the Month Award. He also started and pitched three perfect innings in the All-Star Game that year. Stone threw as many as 73 curveballs in a game at least twice that season, even though he knew he might damage his pitching arm. "I used to try not to lose before", Stone said in 1980. "Now, when I go out, I go out to win every time, and I'm certain I am. I try to envision myself literally walking off the mound a winner. I allow no negatives in my thinking. When certain ones start creeping in, I erase them and make it like a blank blackboard waiting to be filled in with things like, 'The team is going to play well, is going to score some runs, I'm going to throw strikes, I'm going to win.' " After his Cy Young season, the pitcher who was listed as 5' 10" commented: All my life, because of my size, people have been telling me what I couldn't do. They said I was too small and not durable enough. First they said I'd never pitch in high school. Then they said I'd never pitch in college. Then they said okay, but you'll never pitch professionally. Then they said well, maybe you're pitching professionally but you'll never make it out of the minors. When I got to the majors, they said well, you may be in the majors but you'll never be good. Now those same people are saying I won't have a good year this year. That kind of thing is reiterated by people who've never achieved a great deal themselves. Stone suffered from shoulder tendinitis in 1981, going 4–7 with a 4.60 ERA, and retired due to it at age 34. He is considered one of the best Jewish pitchers in major league history. Through July 2011, Stone was third among