On Wednesday, Nov. 14, the Baseball Writers Association of America recognized Tampa Bay Rays LHP Blake Snell with the 2018 American League Cy Young Award. Snell, 25, is a first-time recipient — and the second Rays pitcher to score baseball's most prestigious pitching honor, with 2012 winner David Price being the first.
Snell beat out the Houston Astros' Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians — two veterans who have received the prize in the past — with 169 total points to take home the AL Cy Young Award. The southpaw (not to be confused with northpaw, of course) finished with a 21-5 record, racking up 180.2 innings with a 1.89 ERA and 221 strikeouts.
The National League Cy Young Award also went to another first-time recipient: Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets.
This article appears in Nov 15-22, 2018.