From obscurity to fame Esteban Loaiza finds a home with White Sox: right-hander began season as club's fifth starter but quickly turned out to be a diamond-in-the-rough.(Chicago White Sox pitcher)

THROUGH LATE AUGUST, WHITE Sox pitcher Esteban Loaiza was the front runner for the American League Cy Young Award--an honor the Yankees' Roger Clemens has captured six times.

But now there is reason to think Loaiza could plant his flag on the summit Clemens has visited so often. The 31-year-old Mexican-born right-hander, who started the All-Star Game for the American League, was among the league leaders with a 18-6 record, 2.45 earned run average and 166 strikeouts through September 1.

Half of Loaiza's victories had been tourniquets that stopped the bleeding after a Sox loss. He proved his 5-0 start wasn't a fluke and has shed his former mediocrity like an old snakeskin.

"This year has been my career high of everything," Loaiza said in a simple summation after his 16th victory. He matched his season-best 11 victories in the first half alone and continued to climb confidently into the thin air of baseball's upper altitudes.

There is a hint of defiance in Loaiza's voice when he talks about facing batters who viewed him as an easy target before.

"Some friends I have from the past, they say, 'I'm going to get you. I'm going to get a base hit or a home run.' And they have in the past," Loaiza said. "This year I said, 'All right, let's go at it right now.'

"Everybody's been telling me I'm an untouchable, but I don't want to listen to that kind of stuff. I just want to focus on my next start and go out and win every game."