San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell was elected the 2023 NL Cy Young award winner.
His victory, although not quite unanimous, was very comfortable: he received 28 of the 30 first-place votes available.
Logan Webb, who finished second, got a first-place vote, and Zac Gallen (third in the voting) got the remaining one.
Snell went on a dominant run this season, one that yielded an impressive 2.25 ERA in 180 innings with the Friars.
He also struck out a whopping 234 hitters.
Much like American League winner Gerrit Cole and his New York Yankees, Snell’s Padres underachieved and didn’t make the postseason.
However, Snell was able to win the award anyway, and deservingly so.
With his second Cy Young victory, he joins an exclusive club.
“Blake Snell, who won the AL Cy Young in 2018, joins Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Max Scherzer, Gaylord Perry and Roy Halladay as Cy Young Award winners in both leagues,” MLB insider Mark Feinsand tweeted.
Blake Snell, who won the AL Cy Young in 2018, joins Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Max Scherzer, Gaylord Perry and Roy Halladay as Cy Young Award winners in both leagues.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 16, 2023
Seven men, including Snell, won the award at least once in each league.
Most of those names are in the Hall of Fame, and if Snell can keep accumulating totals and keeping his ERA low, he could get there one day.
Snell completed the feat by winning the hardware in 2018 with the AL’s Tampa Bay Rays and this past season with the Padres.
He will turn 31 in early December, a good age to sign a lucrative long-term deal as he hits the free agent market.
“2018 and 2023 Cy Young award winner” will go nicely on his resume.
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