Gerrit Cole has been unanimously awarded his first AL Cy Young Award, while Blake Snell secures the NL prize.

Gerrit Cole, after narrowly missing out in the past, has finally claimed his inaugural American League Cy Young Award due to his consistent exceptional performance throughout the entire season.

Blake Snell made it onto a select group of esteemed pitchers when he managed to salvage his performance after a rough beginning.

On Wednesday, Cole was recognized as the unanimous winner in the American League, while Snell was awarded with the Cy Young honors in the National League. Snell’s win made him the seventh pitcher to ever receive this prestigious prize in both leagues.

After being the second-place finisher on two previous occasions, Cole had no trouble securing first place this time around. This achievement came after an exceptional season playing for the New York Yankees. As a top-performing pitcher, he received unanimous support from all 30 voters of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

During a conference call, Cole expressed his pride in the current season and previous seasons where he had also contended for the same award. However, he acknowledged that this season felt unique due to the significant amount of momentum leading up to it.

In 26 out of his 33 starts, Cole only allowed a maximum of two runs, which was the best record in the major leagues. He achieved a 15-4 win-loss ratio and struck out 222 batters, leading the American League in both earned run average (2.63) and innings pitched (209). To conclude his impressive season, he ended with a remarkable performance by throwing a shutout with only two hits allowed during his last game against Toronto.

He achieved the distinction of being the sixth pitcher from the Yankees to win the coveted Cy Young award, following in the footsteps of Roger Clemens, who last won it in 2001. Cole and Ron Guidry were the only two who were unanimously chosen for this prestigious title.

“I take immense pride in fulfilling my part of the agreement by acknowledging the influence of exceptional players and their historic achievements,” expressed Cole, a 33-year-old who committed to a $324 million deal with New York in December 2019. “I am actively contributing to the reputation and impact of our collective endeavors.”

Snell, the NL recipient, achieved victory by obtaining a 14-9 record while also taking the lead in the majors with a remarkable 2.25 ERA, all in service to the San Diego Padres.

The first position in voting was secured by the left-handed free agent on 28 out of 30 ballots. Logan Webb, a right-handed pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, came in second place, while Zac Gallen of the NL champion team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, took third place.

Snell, who was given the AL Cy Young Award in 2018 while playing for Tampa Bay, has now become one of the few pitchers to win the prestigious accolade in both leagues. He joins an esteemed group that includes Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Clemens, Roy Halladay, and Max Scherzer.

Snell expressed his immense joy and admitted his difficulty in gracefully accepting awards while maintaining a humble attitude. He emphasized his efforts to fully relish this achievement even more than his first win, highlighting its exceptional significance to him.

“In the year 2018, I was young and full of expectations. I held the belief that I would emerge victorious in 40 of those competitions. I possessed an unwavering confidence, believing that winning the Cy Young award would become an annual habit. Such thoughts are typical for the young and naive.”

Cole, who was chosen as the first pick by Pittsburgh in 2011 from UCLA, commenced the All-Star Game in the current year following his sixth selection in the Midsummer Classic. He attained second place in the Cy Young voting in both 2019 and 2024, and also ranked in the top five on three other instances.

Sonny Gray, a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, received 20 second-place votes and came in second place for the AL. Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays ended up in third place.

Cole and Snell stood out for underperforming teams. Despite having two of the highest payrolls in baseball, the Yankees and Padres both ended their seasons with a disappointing record of 82-80 and failed to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Snell, despite a difficult beginning to the season, managed to overcome it and achieve an impressive record of 234 strikeouts in 180 innings over 32 games. After suffering a loss to Boston on May 19, he had a win-loss ratio of 1-6 with a 5.40 earned run average (ERA). However, he displayed exceptional performance for the rest of the season, even though he led the league with 99 walks.
Snell’s remarkable performance on the pitcher’s mound, allowing just 5.75 hits per nine innings, was the most impressive in the major leagues. His consistently outstanding numbers surpassed those of Webb (11-13, 3.25 ERA) and Gallen (17-9, 3.47), both of whom pitched at least 210 innings. Despite their strong performances, they each received only one first-place vote.

Snell, a 30-year-old Seattle native, is set to become a free agent soon. After the World Series, he declined a $20,325,000 offer from the Padres in order to seek a more financially rewarding deal.

He expressed his enthusiasm about becoming a free agent, mentioning that he is unsure about what lies ahead.

The Cy Young award has been won by four San Diego pitchers in the past. These winners were Randy Jones in 1976, Perry in 1978, reliever Mark Davis in 1989, and Jake Peavy in 2007.

For the first time ever, a starting pitcher with a losing record emerged as either the top or second choice in the voting, evidenced by Webb’s performance.

Luis Castillo, a right-handed pitcher for Seattle, receives a $250,000 reward for securing the fifth position in the American League. Gray obtained a $150,000 bonus, while Gausman received $100,000.
Snell expressed that he continuously reminded himself of his own excellence.

Using his fast fastball that reached speeds of 95-96 mph and his dominant curveball, he emerged victorious in eight out of his last nine games and managed to prevent his opponents from scoring in five out of his final six starts, including the last three.

“I understand myself way more. I don’t get mad at things that I shouldn’t get mad at anymore,” said Snell, who has never pitched a complete game in 191 major league starts. “I don’t try to be perfect. I just try to be the best version of me. And in doing so, I feel like this year came together pretty magically.”