New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole won the Cy Young Award in the American League while San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell won it in the National League on Wednesday.
Cole Train
This is Cole’s first Cy Young, winning it unanimously among the 30 voters while becoming the sixth Yankees pitcher to win the award and the first since Roger Clemens in 2001. This year, Cole was 15-4 with an American League-leading 2.63 ERA and 209 innings pitched. Additionally, the Yankees' ace led the American League in ERA + with 165 and opponents batting average with .206, as well as the majors in fewest hits allowed per nine innings at 6.8 and WHIP (0.98).
“I’m extremely proud. It validates a lot of the hard work that I’ve put in over the years, and a lot of the hard work that goes in behind the scenes of everyone in my corner, from my teammates to the people in my family who have supported me my whole life.” - Gerrit Cole on winning the Cy Young
Snellzilla II
This is Snell’s second Cy Young, doing so in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays. He's the seventh player to win the award in both leagues, joining Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Roy Halladay, and Max Scherzer, also becoming the first Padre to win the award in nearly 15 years. This year, Snell was 14-9 and led the majors with a 2.25 ERA. He gave up the fewest hits per nine innings (5.8) and ranked first in opponent slugging percentage (.286) and second in strikeout percentage (31.5).
“In 2018, I was a kid, I thought I was going to win 40 [Cy Youngs], I thought I was invincible. Having the five years of battling every year to be the best version of myself and what that entails, this season I kind of learned what it takes to win a Cy Young now, understanding the rhythm and tempo you have throughout a season.” - Blake Snell on winning the Cy Young
Winning the Cy Young is huge for Cole and Snell. For Cole, it means he’s one of the best pitchers in the game. As for Snell, it should help him sign with another team, as he enters a top-heavy pitching free-agent class.
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