The New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole is finally a Cy Young Award winner. The MLB unveiled Cole as a unanimous American League Cy Young Award on Tuesday, while San Diego Padres’ Blake Snell received the same honor in the National League.
Cole considered one of the best pitchers of his generation, received all 30 first-place votes from the BBWAA voting panel. The 33-year-old player finished second in the Cy Young Award voting in 2019 and 2021 while finishing in the Top 5 three more times.
Cole started 33 games in 2023, being one of the rare bright spots for the struggling Yankees. He pitched a total of 209 innings, finishing the campaign with a 15-4 record, 2.63 ERA, and 222 strikeouts.
Snell, on the other hand, received 28 first-place votes to win his second-career Cy Young Award. The 30-year-old right-hander is only the seventh pitcher to receive the honor in both AL and NL, having won his first Cy Young in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays. Arizona Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen and San Francisco Giants’ Logan Webb got the two remaining first-place votes.
Snell had the MLB-leading 2.25 ERA in 2023 and was the only qualified pitcher below 2.50 ERA in the league. He went 14-9 in 32 starts and had 234 strikeouts.
