San Diego, CA – June 4: Blake Snell #4 of the San Diego Padres celebrates at the end of the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park on June 4, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)
Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced the winner of the National League Cy Young Award, and the names will probably not surprise you.
Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres has emerged as the victorious recipient of the NL Cy Young, triumphing over fellow finalists Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants.
Despite the stiff competition, Snell emerged as the unequivocal winner, securing 28 out of 30 first-place votes from the BBWAA voters. Webb, who secured second place, and Gallen, in third, each received one first-place vote.
Snell, leading all MLB qualified pitchers, maintained an impressive ERA of 2.25, making him the only starting pitcher with an ERA below 2.50. Additionally, he allowed the fewest average hits per nine innings at 5.8, further solidifying his outstanding performance. It’s worth noting that Snell’s dominance in traditional pitching statistics, despite pitching fewer innings per start, ultimately swayed the voters in his favor.
This marks Snell’s second Cy Young award, his first in the National League. His first win was in 2018 when he was playing for the Tampa Bay Rays.