In a thrilling announcement on Wednesday, the baseball world witnessed the crowning of the 2023 Cy Young Award winners.
San Diego’s Blake Snell clinched his second title, this time in the National League.
Meanwhile, the dominant Cole takes home his first-ever Cy Young trophy.
The 30-year-old Snell etched his name in history as the seventh player and second left-hander to win the prestigious award in both leagues. The southpaw had previously won the AL Cy Young during his tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018.
The 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner is Blake Snell! pic.twitter.com/gaupYTuhur
— MLB (@MLB) November 15, 2023
The left-hander’s 2023 stats painted a masterpiece, with a 14-9 record, an MLB-best 2.25 ERA, and 180 innings pitched.
Snell not only yielded the fewest hits per nine innings (5.8) but also led the majors in walks (99).
Notably, he became the third pitcher to claim the award while leading the league in free passes, a feat previously achieved by Bob Turley and Early Wynn in 1958 and 1959.
Two words to describe Blake Snell? Cy Young.#CyZilla pic.twitter.com/G1yd5VcPac
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) November 15, 2023
Snell’s dominance extended to opponent slugging percentage (.286), and he secured the second spot in strikeout percentage (31.5).
Breaking his own record, Snell averaged the fewest innings (5.6) per start of any Cy Young winner, surpassing his 2018 mark of 5.8 innings.
In the American League, the 33-year-old Cole marked a milestone as the unanimous winner of his first-ever Cy Young Award.
The Yankees ace finished the season with a 15-4 record, an AL-leading 2.63 ERA, and a league-best 209 innings.
Cole topped the league in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.8) and maintained a stellar WHIP of 0.981.
The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner is Gerrit Cole! pic.twitter.com/eytKsQYECA
— MLB (@MLB) November 15, 2023
Cole’s journey to the Cy Young podium included a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting in 2015 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, followed by consistent top-five finishes from 2018 to 2021.
He narrowly missed out on the AL Cy Young in 2019 with the Houston Astros and in 2021 with the Yankees, finishing as the runner-up both times.
Yankees players, staff and former players congratulate Gerrit Cole on his Cy Young Award pic.twitter.com/jniLipES8y
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) November 16, 2023
Do you think both winners are deserving?
If not, who do you think should have won???