Winner-take-all playoff games started by eventual Cy Young winners

Pop quiz, hot shot: It's the MLB postseason, and your team is heading into a winner-take-all game. A loss means your season is over. A win means October glory. Who do you give the ball to?

Obviously, every team would love to turn to its top starting pitcher in those situations. It doesn't always line up that way, but giving the ball to not just an ace, but to that season's eventual Cy Young Award winner should give any club a confidence boost before it takes the field. There have been more than 20 instances of such an ace starting a winner-take-all playoff game since the Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956.

On Saturday, Tigers left-hander and likely American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal will start ALDS Game 5 in Cleveland. Skubal shined against the Guardians in Game 2. Now he will get a chance to lift Detroit into its first ALCS since 2013.

In advance of that start, here is a look at how Cy Young Award winners and their teams performed in winner-take-all postseason games.

Corey Kluber, Cleveland, 2017 ALDS Game 5
3.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 K; Cleveland lost, 5-2

Kluber locked up the Cy Young Award with a tremendous run over the final two months of the 2017 regular season. He posted a 1.42 ERA over 12 starts and had a 104-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio across those 89 innings. However, the Yankees roughed him up twice in the ALDS. He gave up six runs in 2 2/3 innings to put his club in an early hole in Game 2, although Cleveland was able to rally for a comeback win. But a comeback wasn't in the cards for Game 5. Kluber served up two homers to Didi Gregorius before hitting the showers early yet again. After throwing at least five innings in all but one of his 29 starts in the regular season, Kluber didn't make it through the fourth inning in either of his postseason starts.

Max Scherzer, Nationals, 2016 NLDS Game 5
6 IP, 1 ER, 7 K; Nationals lost, 4-3

The Nationals had their ace on the bump for Games 1 and 5 of this series -- and lost them both. After surrendering four runs over six frames in the series opener, Scherzer was more effective in the finale, holding L.A. scoreless through six innings. But his first pitch of the seventh proved to be his last as Joc Pederson teed off for a game-tying homer. The Dodgers went on to score three more runs in the inning against Washington's bullpen and held on for a narrow victory that was closed out by three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw.

Jake Arrieta, Cubs, 2015 NL Wild Card Game
9 IP, 0 ER, 11 K; Cubs won, 4-0

The Pirates held the home-field advantage for the NL Wild Card Game, but that provided no actual advantage against a pitcher who entered the playoffs having allowed just four earned runs in his previous 91 1/3 innings. Arrieta carved up the Bucs in his first career playoff game, besting Gerrit Cole in the process. Arrieta permitted five hits -- all singles -- with no walks and 11 strikeouts en route to becoming the first Cubs pitcher since 1945 to complete a postseason shutout.

Bartolo Colon, Angels, 2005 ALDS Game 5
1 IP, 0 ER, 1 K; Angels won, 5-3

From 1998-05, Colon threw 1,725 2/3 regular-season innings, fifth-most in MLB during that span. He surpassed 200 frames in seven of those eight seasons, including in '05 when he logged 222 2/3 innings before throwing seven frames in ALDS Game 1 against the Yankees. All of that work seemingly caught up with Colon in Game 5 as he exited in the second inning due to a right shoulder injury. Tests would later determine that Colon suffered a partially torn rotator cuff. Yet the Angels persevered without their workhorse. They scored five runs off of Mike Mussina over the next two innings and used three relievers to hold New York's powerful offense at bay.

Roger Clemens, Astros, 2004 NLCS Game 7
6 IP, 4 ER, 2 K; Astros lost, 5-2

Clemens, who struck out 218 batters during his age-41 season in 2004, racked up just two K's in NLCS Game 7 against the Cardinals. He held a 2-1 lead with two outs in the sixth but let the game slip away by allowing a game-tying double to Albert Pujols and a go-ahead dinger to Scott Rolen. The Cardinals didn't look back from there and claimed the franchise's 16th National League pennant.

Roger Clemens, Yankees, 2001 World Series Game 7
6.1 IP, 1 ER, 10 K; Yankees lost, 3-2

There are so many moments from this Game 7 that turned Clemens' performance into a mere footnote. Heck, his outing is probably remembered less than that of his 2001 Cy Young Award counterpart, Randy Johnson, who came out of the D-backs' bullpen to pitch 1 1/3 innings of flawless ball directly ahead of Luis Gonzalez's iconic walk-off single. But Clemens was superb through his 6 1/3 innings of work. His only blemish was an RBI double to Danny Bautista in the sixth. Clemens' 10 K's were his second-most in 34 career playoff starts.

Roger Clemens, Yankees, 2001 ALDS Game 5
4.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 K; Yankees won, 5-3

Three weeks before pitching in the final game of the 2001 season, The Rocket had a much rockier start against the A's. He gave up a run in the first, second and fifth innings, and didn't register any three-up, three-down frames. Yet the Yankees responded with five runs (three earned) against Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson, keeping the Bronx Bombers' dreams of a fourth consecutive World Series title alive.

Orel Hershiser, Dodgers, 1988 NLCS Game 7
9 IP, 0 ER, 5 K; Dodgers won, 6-0

Hershiser produced the longest scoreless streak in AL/NL history during the '88 regular season and then kept posting zeros once the Dodgers reached October. He picked up a save in NLCS Game 4 by retiring the only batter he faced in the 12th inning. He returned to the mound three days later and flummoxed the Mets in a Game 7 shutout. It was the first of three complete games over eight days for Hershiser, culminating with a World Series-clinching victory versus the A's.

Roger Clemens, Red Sox, 1986 ALCS Game 7
7 IP, 1 ER, 3 K; Red Sox won, 8-1

After a spectacular regular season, Clemens wasn't his typical overpowering self in ALCS Game 7 in '86. He didn't need to be. Boston plated seven runs in the first four innings en route to winning a series it once trailed three games to one. A 24-year-old Clemens coasted over seven innings, allowing only four hits and one walk. He would soon be recognized as the first starting pitcher in 15 years to earn MVP and Cy Young honors.

Bret Saberhagen, Royals, 1985 World Series Game 7
9 IP, 0 ER, 2 K; Royals won, 11-0

Speaking of ace starters who didn't need to be at their best in a sudden-death game, Saberhagen received 11 runs of support after five innings against the Cardinals in this Fall Classic finale. Yet Saberhagen kept his foot on the pedal and retired the final eight batters he faced in a complete-game shutout. He gave up five hits -- none of which went for extra bases -- and walked no one. Saberhagen became the eighth pitcher in AL/NL history to register a shutout in a winner-take-all World Series game as the Royals claimed their first championship.

Bret Saberhagen, Royals, 1985 ALCS Game 7
3 IP, 0 ER, 2 K; Royals won, 6-2

The '85 World Series was a huge success for Saberhagen -- two victorious starts, 18 innings pitched and one earned run allowed. He also welcomed the birth of his first child on the day before his Game 7 start. Conversely, he likely doesn't reflect fondly upon that year's ALCS. Saberhagen got tagged for five runs over 4 1/3 innings in Game 3 against the Blue Jays and was then knocked out of Game 7 early due to a bruised right thumb. The injury occurred in the first inning when Saberhagen took a Willie Upshaw line drive off his pitching hand. He was able to notch three scoreless frames before departing, and his teammates picked up the slack from there.

Rick Sutcliffe, Cubs, 1984 NLCS Game 5
6.1 IP, 5 ER, 2 K; Cubs lost, 6-3

The Cubs, leading 3-0 and just 12 outs away from their first World Series in nearly 40 years, had the right man on the mound. Sutcliffe fired seven shutout frames in a win over the Padres in NLCS Game 1 and had kept them scoreless with only two hits allowed through the first five innings of Game 5. Then the Cubs crumbled. San Diego scored twice on sacrifice flies in the sixth before pushing four runs across in the seventh, all while Sutcliffe was still in the game. Yes, Leon Durham's error opened the door for the Padres, but Sutcliffe followed that by allowing three straight hits. Only one run in that inning was unearned.

Pete Vuckovich, Brewers, 1982 World Series Game 7
5.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 K; Brewers lost, 6-3

Vuckovich spent most of this game working into and out of trouble, much as he had done throughout the regular season. Despite posting a 1.50 WHIP on the year, the right-hander ended the year with a solid 3.34 ERA. Vuckovich gave up eight hits and two walks through the first five innings of Game 7, but it added up to only one run for St. Louis. However, Vuckovich's outing ended in the sixth after he permitted a couple more hits with one out. Both of those runners came around to score in a pivotal three-run frame as the Cardinals grabbed the lead for good.

Pete Vuckovich, Brewers, 1982 ALCS Game 5
6.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 K; Brewers won, 4-3

Vuckovich allowed 13 baserunners over his 6 1/3 innings in ALCS Game 5 but limited the Angels to three runs. Fighting through all of that traffic -- as well as a bum right shoulder that would soon sidetrack his career -- Vuckovich kept Milwaukee within striking distance. And in the bottom of the seventh, Cecil Cooper would strike for a go-ahead, two-run single that illuminated the Brewers' path to the pennant.

Fernando Valenzuela, Dodgers, 1981 NLCS Game 5
8.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 K; Dodgers won, 2-1

The Dodgers handed the ball to their 20-year-old phenom twice while facing elimination in '81. Valenzuela delivered with a complete-game triumph against the Astros in the NLDS and stepped up in a big spot versus Montreal nine days later. After the Expos scored a run in the first inning, Valenzuela shut them out over the next seven. He gave up only two hits and didn't allow a runner past second base over that span. Rick Monday's clutch homer put Los Angeles in front in the ninth, and the tandem of Valenzuela and Bob Welch made it hold up.

Tom Seaver, Mets, 1973 NLCS Game 5
8.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 K; Mets won, 7-2

Four years before Seaver was traded to the Reds, his brilliance in the NLCS pushed the Mets past Cincinnati. His 13-strikeout showing in Game 1 set the tone for the series, and he capped it by allowing one run over 8 1/3 innings in Game 5. That outing wasn't very smooth -- Seaver gave up seven hits and tied a season-high with five walks -- but the Mets' offense backed Tom Terrific with two runs in the first and four more in the fifth.

Bob Gibson, Cardinals, 1968 World Series Game 7
9 IP, 4 ER, 8 K; Cardinals lost, 4-1

Gibson was so close to authoring a storybook finish to his historic '68 campaign. It just wasn't meant to be. Gibson recorded a 1.12 ERA in the regular season and then overwhelmed the Tigers through his first two starts in the World Series, highlighted by his record-setting 17 strikeouts in Game 1. But Gibson's year ended with a relatively mediocre performance. His four earned runs tied a season-high, although two of those runs came directly from a misplay by center fielder Curt Flood. Gibson and Tigers starter Mickey Lolich went the distance, marking the only time in the Expansion Era (since 1961) that each starting pitcher in a winner-take-all postseason matchup threw a complete game.

Jim Lonborg, Red Sox, 1967 World Series Game 7
6 IP, 6 ER, 3 K; Red Sox lost, 7-2

One year before falling short in the World Series, Gibson was victorious against a soon-to-be Cy Young Award winner. Gibson struck out 10 in this Game 7 and hit a home run off Lonborg in the fifth inning. Lonborg was fantastic in his first two starts during the Fall Classic, allowing a combined four hits and one run over 18 innings. But he stumbled in the most important game of the year, surrendering six runs on 10 hits -- five for extra bases -- across six frames.

Sandy Koufax, Dodgers, 1965 World Series Game 7
9 IP, 0 ER, 10 K; Dodgers won, 2-0

Koufax threw a career-high and MLB-best 335 2/3 innings during his superb '65 regular season. And he had plenty left in the tank for the World Series. He tossed a 10-K shutout in Game 5 and then came back two days later to do the exact same thing in Game 7. Koufax retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced in the clincher and didn't allow any baserunner past second base. The legendary lefty is the only pitcher in AL/NL history to record two shutouts with double-digit K's in a single World Series.

Vern Law, Pirates, 1960 World Series Game 7
5 IP, 3 ER, 0 K; Pirates won, 10-9

Nursing a sprained ankle, Law beat the Yankees in Games 1 and 4 of the '60 Fall Classic and appeared well on his way to a Game 7 win after being handed an early 4-0 lead and blanking New York through four innings. However, he gave up one run in the fifth and saw his outing end after the first two batters he faced in the sixth reached base. Law was ultimately left with a no-decision, but thanks to Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski, no one remembers Law's uneven start that day.

Don Newcombe, Dodgers, 1956 World Series Game 7
3 IP, 5 ER, 4 K; Dodgers lost, 9-0

About six weeks before he became the first Cy Young Award winner, Newcombe was focused on bringing home the Dodgers' second consecutive World Series title. He was also looking for a bit of redemption after getting knocked around for six runs in 1 2/3 innings in Game 2. However, Newcombe experienced more disappointment in Game 7. He served up two homers to Yogi Berra and a solo shot to Elston Howard as the Yankees routed Brooklyn.