Misiorowski and Schlittler Sweep Cy Young Voting After Standout Seasons

Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees were announced Wednesday as unanimous winners of the 2026 Cy Young awards. Misiorowski collected all 30 first-place votes in the National League, ahead of Philadelphia's Cristopher Sanchez and Atlanta's Chris Sale. Schlittler swept the American League voting, with Toronto's Dylan Cease finishing second and Cleveland's Parker Messick third.

Misiorowski, 24, anchored a Milwaukee team that won a major league-best 103 games and the World Series. He finished 16-5 across 30 starts and 174⅔ innings, leading baseball with a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 252 strikeouts. His 6.6 fWAR also topped all pitchers, while his 232 ERA+ was the highest over a full season since Pedro Martinez's 291 in 2000.

The Brewers right-hander paired those results with extraordinary speed. His fastball averaged 100.6 mph, and he delivered more than 1,000 pitches at 100 mph or above, more than twice the record Jordan Hicks established in 2018. A 105.5 mph fastball against Pete Crow-Armstrong in June became the fastest pitch by a starter in the Statcast era.

After posting a 3.31 ERA through six starts in April, Misiorowski recorded a 1.46 ERA over his remaining 24 starts and 142 innings. His June 12 performance against Philadelphia featured a one-hit shutout, 15 strikeouts and no walks. He joined Corbin Burnes, Pete Vuckovich and Rollie Fingers as Milwaukee's Cy Young winners, and became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2001 to win the award and a World Series in the same year.

Schlittler, 25, went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts over 193⅔ innings in 33 starts. He led the AL in ERA, fWAR at 6.2 and ERA+ at 215. Opponents scored no more than one run against him in 21 starts, and his ERA across 17 road starts was 1.16. The Yankees' pitching staff finished with the lowest ERA in the majors despite lengthy absences for Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon.

Only Spud Chandler and Ron Guidry have recorded lower ERAs as qualified Yankees starters. Schlittler became the franchise's seventh Cy Young recipient and its first since Cole in 2023. Drafted in the seventh round from Northeastern in 2022, he increased his velocity through delivery adjustments and added muscle. In 2026, his four-seam fastball averaged 98 mph, alongside a cutter, sinker and power curveball.

The Baseball Writers' Association of America also presented its first Reliever of the Year awards. San Diego closer Mason Miller unanimously won the NL honor after recording a 1.67 ERA, 38 saves and 129 strikeouts in 70 innings over 66 appearances. His strikeout total led major league relievers, and his 47.6% strikeout rate ranked sixth all time among pitchers who worked at least 50 innings. His average fastball velocity of 101.4 mph was baseball's highest.

Toronto closer Louis Varland received 16 of 30 first-place votes to take the AL reliever award. He finished with 35 saves across 71 appearances and pitched 78 innings. His 1.27 ERA was the lowest among qualified relievers in the majors.