Even the U.S. was stunned! Only three times in history: unanimous Cy Young Awards in both leagues, and a second-year MLB pitcher pulled it off. A 24-year-old monster throwing 170 km/h and a 25-year-old Yankees ace dominated.

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

What had happened only twice in history occurred once more. However, this time, the protagonists were both second-year Major League (MLB) players. Jacob Misiorowski (24, Milwaukee Brewers) and Cam Schlittler (25, New York Yankees) swept the Cy Young Awards in both leagues without missing a single first-place vote.

The official Major League website MLB.com announced on the 12th (Korean time) the winners of the 2026 Cy Young Awards in both leagues selected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).

In the American League (AL), Schlittler received all 30 first-place votes. In the National League (NL) as well, Misiorowski received first-place votes from all 30 members of the voting panel. The two players swept all 60 first-place votes. It is only the third time in history that Cy Young Awards in both leagues have been decided unanimously. There had been only two previous instances: Bob Gibson and Denny McLain in 1968, and Justin Verlander and Sandy Alcantara in 2022.

Even more surprising is that both players debuted in the Major Leagues last year, in 2025. Second-year big league pitchers simultaneously claimed the top pitcher spots in both leagues. Among them, Misiorowski's season was described as "unrealistic."

Misiorowski pitched 174⅔ innings this regular season, recording an ERA of 1.80, 252 strikeouts, and a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 0.80. He ranked first among all Major League starting pitchers in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP, strikeouts per nine innings (12.98), and batting average against (0.157). In particular, his batting average against of 0.157 was the lowest ever among pitchers meeting the qualifying innings threshold, excluding shortened seasons. It was even lower than the 0.167 recorded by Pedro Martinez in 2000.

However, there is another number that most symbolically represents Misiorowski: "100 mph (approximately 160.9 km/h)." Misiorowski threw a whopping 1,115 pitches at 100 mph or faster this year. This is the single-season record since the introduction of pitch tracking systems in 2008. The previous record was 673 pitches set by Jordan Hicks in 2018. Misiorowski surpassed that mark by a massive 442 pitches.

Even more unbelievable is that one pitcher threw more 100 mph pitches than an entire Major League team. This year, the San Diego Padres pitching staff as a whole threw 753 pitches at 100 mph or faster. The LA Dodgers threw 574. Misiorowski alone recorded 1,115, far exceeding the totals of each entire club. His top speed was 105.5 mph (approximately 169.8 km/h). According to MLB.com, it was the fastest pitch ever thrown by a starting pitcher in the pitch tracking era.

A regular season ERA of 1.80 ranked first in the entire Major League, 252 strikeouts along with the all-time record for pitches over 100 mph, and the highest speed in World Series history. On top of that, he added a Milwaukee World Series championship and a unanimous Cy Young Award. He also secured a special place in franchise history. Misiorowski became the fourth Cy Young Award winner in Milwaukee history, following Rollie Fingers in 1981, Pete Schourek in 1982, and Corbin Burnes in 2021.

In the AL, Schlittler firmly established himself as the new ace of the Yankees. Schlittler started all 33 regular season games, recording a 14-6 win-loss record, an ERA of 1.95, 193⅔ innings pitched, and 239 strikeouts. His ERA ranked first in the AL, and his WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 6.2 according to FanGraphs was also the best in the league. His walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) of 0.244 was also first in the AL.

An ERA of 1.95 was the third lowest in Yankees franchise history among pitchers meeting the qualifying innings threshold, following Spud Chandler's 1.64 in 1943 and Ron Guidry's 1.74 in 1978. His 239 strikeouts tied Jack Chesbro for the fourth-best single-season record in Yankees history. He also had the most games with one or fewer earned runs allowed in the entire Major League, with 21 such games.

Even within the vast history of the Yankees franchise, Schlittler has become a special name. Before Schlittler, only six pitchers had won the Cy Young Award for the Yankees. Bob Turley was the first to win it for the club in 1958, followed by legendary left-hander Whitey Ford in 1961. Sparky Lyle and Ron Guidry took the top spot consecutively in 1977 and 1978, respectively, and Roger Clemens won in 2001. Then, after a 22-year gap, Gerrit Cole claimed the Cy Young Award in 2023. Schlittler followed just three years later to become the seventh Cy Young pitcher in franchise history.

It is a remarkable turnaround for a rookie who had only 14 starts of big league experience until last year. After entering the rotation late in the 2025 regular season, Schlittler made his name by throwing a 12-strikeout gem against the Boston Red Sox in the postseason Wild Card Game. And he went straight to the Cy Young Award in his first full-time season.

It is astonishing that the combined age of Misiorowski and Schlittler is only 49. The 24-year-old Misiorowski rewrote Major League fastball history with pitches approaching 170 km/h, while the 25th-year-old Schlittler became the Yankees ace in his first full-time season and etched his name into the 68th-year history of the Cy Young Award as the seventh Yankee pitcher to win it. And the fact that both were second-year big leaguers raised expectations for their future.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original