The New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole is arguably the greatest pitcher in history to never win a Cy Young Award.
That’s because he’s been an injury-free ace for 11 years, from his debut in 2013 to this season, and he hasn’t won a single season as the best pitcher in baseball.
In the AL Cy Young Award voting announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) on MLB Network on Saturday (ET), Cole received the first-place vote from all 30 writers and was a “unanimous” choice (210 points). The Minnesota Twins’ Sonny Gray (free agent – 104 points) and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman (82 points) rounded out the second and third place votes.
This season, Cole started 33 games and threw 209 innings, posting a 15-4 record with a 2.63 ERA, 222 strikeouts, and a 0.98 WHIP. He led the AL in ERA, innings pitched, and WHIP. He was third in strikeouts and tied for third in wins. His fellow finalists, Gaussman (185 IP, 12-9, 3.16, 237 Ks) and Gray (FA-184 IP, 8-8, 2.79, 183 Ks), were no match for Cole.
Cole booked his “unanimous” award with a nine-inning, two-hit shutout of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 28, his final start of the season. After the game, Cole said, “I just pitched the way I know how to pitch. It’s just a matter of going out there and giving my team the best chance to win and trusting my teammates to do the rest.”레모나토토 주소
“The Cy Young Award is well-deserved for Garrett, and I couldn’t be happier for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said via the organization. “I can’t tell you how lucky I am to be the manager of such an outstanding player. “I can’t tell you how fortunate I am to be the coach of such a great player, and to finally get this honor after so many years of not getting it, and I can’t wait to share this unbelievable joy with the guys in the clubhouse.
Since making his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013, Cole has finished in the top five of the Cy Young Award voting five times, including two second-place finishes. He has never finished first. While he’s been a Cy Young candidate every year, his actual seasons have mostly fallen short of expectations.
One particularly disappointing season was 2019, when he was with the Houston Astros. He went 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts that year, but finished just 12 points behind teammate Justin Verlander for second place. Despite leading the AL in ERA and strikeouts, he was unable to overcome Verlander, who led the league in wins (21) and innings pitched (223). If we were voting today, when ERA is recognized as the most important metric, Cole might win the award.
Cole, who signed a nine-year, $324 million free agent contract with the Yankees later that year, had to settle for second place in Cy Young voting again in 2021 after going 16-8 with a 3.23 ERA and 243 strikeouts. The Toronto Blue Jays’ Robbie Ray (13-7, 2.84, 248 strikeouts) was too good.
San Diego Padres’ Blake Snell wins the National League Cy Young Award. AFP
In the National League, the San Diego Padres’ Blake Snell won the award as expected. Twenty-eight of the 30 reporters cast first-place votes for Snell. He totaled 204 points, beating out Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants (86 points) and Zack Galen of the Arizona Diamondbacks (68 points).
Snell pitched 180 innings in 32 games this season, posting a 14-9 record, 2.25 ERA, 234 strikeouts, and a 1.189 WHIP. His ERA is first in both leagues, and his strikeouts are second behind Atlanta Braves’ Spencer Strider (281).
Snell previously won the AL Cy Young Award in 2018 while with the Tampa Bay Rays. He became the seventh pitcher in history to win the top honor in both leagues. Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Gaylord Perry, Roy Halladay, and Max Scherzer are the other Cy Young Award winners in both leagues.
For San Diego, it’s been 16 years since Jake Peavy won the award in 2007, but Snell has the “stain” of being the first pitcher in history to lead the league in ERA while walking the most batters (99).