Schlittler and Misiorowski: what the Cy Young finalists’ seasons say as MLB prepares to hand out the awards

The Cy Young Awards are up for grabs Wednesday, and MLB framed the race around how the six finalists shaped their teams’ pitching identities over the season, starting with a Yankees season that left Cam Schlittler viewed as the American League favorite.

In the AL, Schlittler’s case was built on front-of-the-rotation production: MLB reported he went 14-6 with an AL-best 1.95 ERA, paced the league in pitching WAR at 7.0, and limited opponents with a.244 on-base percentage. MLB also noted a strong road split, with Schlittler going 8-2 and posting a 1.16 ERA in 15 road starts, while leading major leaguers in several road categories including opponent batting average (.153) and WHIP (0.74).

MLB added that Schlittler’s workload included 21 starts of one or zero runs, and 29 starts of three runs or fewer, both framed as major-league bests tied to his overall control. MLB also pointed to a national-stage spotlight from the previous year’s AL Wild Card Series, noting Schlittler’s dominant relief/shutdown role against the Red Sox in that postseason moment.

Still in the AL, Dylan Cease and Parker Messick represent the other two parts of the finalists’ argument. MLB described Cease, now with the Blue Jays, as carrying “ceiling” power, highlighting 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings as a Blue Jays record for qualified pitchers and 237 strikeouts, fourth in franchise history. MLB also credited Cease’s pitch mix refinement, including a changeup used alongside his slider and fastball.

MLB’s profile of Parker Messick for the AL focused on reliability from a first full big-league run. MLB reported a 2.56 ERA (sixth among qualified AL starters) and 193 strikeouts in 186 1/3 innings, plus a consistency split in which Messick allowed three or fewer runs 29 times and two or fewer runs 24 times.

In the National League, MLB’s preview set the baseline by describing Jacob Misiorowski as the flamethrowing front-runner. MLB reported Misiorowski led the majors in ERA (1.80), strikeouts (252), strikeout rate (37.9 percent), WHIP (0.80), and opponent batting average (.157), across 174 2/3 innings.

MLB also framed Misiorowski’s season as historically rare, citing threshold combinations like 250-plus strikeouts with a WHIP of 0.80, and noting his.157 opponents’ average as the lowest on record for a full season, surpassing previous marks. The preview’s only caution was workload, saying Misiorowski pitched fewer innings than some other NL finalists because Milwaukee managed his pitch limit while anticipating October.

MLB then placed the NL competition in two distinct forms: Chris Sale’s bid for a second Cy Young within three seasons, and Cristopher Sánchez’s back-to-back caliber. MLB said Sale’s 2026 résumé included a 2.16 ERA in 2024 and highlighted his 2026 stretch of run prevention after a rough third start, while also pointing to strikeout milestones in his regular season finale.

For Sánchez, MLB emphasized dominance built on leverage and run suppression. The preview reported he went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 33 starts, led MLB in wins and bWAR at 8.1, and topped the NL in quality starts (22). MLB also pointed to a 50 2/3-inning scoreless streak spanning late April into early June as the longest in Phillies history, and added multiple season context notes tying Sánchez to franchise and historical patterns for left-handed pitchers.