Viola’s start was not great, losing far more games than he won in his first two seasons, both of which having ERAs over five. Viola turned it around in 1984, ascending to the Twins' ace, winning 16 Games over the next four years, and finishing sixth in Cy Young voting in both 1984 and 1987. That '87 became the year he was on the national stage as his Twins won their first World Series since the franchise relocated from Washington. Viola went 2-1 in that World Series and was named the World Series MVP.
The righthander built on that momentum with the best regular season of his career, going 24-7, leading the AL in Wins, and finally going to his first All-Star game. Viola had a down year in 1989, and the rebuilding Twins traded him to the New York Mets, and he rebounded with two All-Star seasons and a 20 Win and third place in Cy Young voting year. Viola finished off his career with three decent years in Boston before his skills regressed completely.
Viola left the game with a 176-150 record.
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