2026 Cy Young Awards: Misiorowski and Schlittler win unanimously
· BehindLines newsroom
Jacob Misiorowski (Milwaukee Brewers) and Cam Schlittler (New York Yankees) were named unanimous Cy Young Award winners on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. The Cy Young goes to the best pitcher in each league of American baseball, and the vote belongs to the BBWAA writers' association, according to ESPN and CBS Sports.
Misiorowski, speed in the spotlight
In the National League, Misiorowski, 24, received all 30 first-place votes, ahead of Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies) and Chris Sale (Braves), according to ESPN. He went 16-5 with a 1.80 earned run average and 252 strikeouts in 30 starts, ranking first in the majors for ERA, WHIP and strikeouts. His fastball averaged 100.6 mph, and, according to ESPN, his fastest pitch, 105.5 mph in June, is the fastest thrown by a starter since Statcast tracking began. The Brewers won 103 games, the best total in the majors, and then the World Series; he becomes the fourth Brewer honored, following Rollie Fingers (1981), Pete Vuckovich (1982) and Corbin Burnes (2021).
Schlittler, a landmark season in the Bronx
In the American League, Schlittler, 25, finished ahead of Dylan Cease (Blue Jays) and Parker Messick (Guardians). According to ESPN, he finished 14-6, posting a 1.95 ERA and striking out 239 batters over 193⅔ innings. CBS Sports notes that his ERA+ of 215 is a Yankees franchise record, and the team won 93 games. He is the seventh Yankee to win the award and the first since Gerrit Cole's win in 2023, and he follows Tarik Skubal, who won the previous two years, CBS Sports recalls. He tells ESPN that he set out to stay healthy, pitch steadily and take every one of his turns.
Two new trophies for relievers
ESPN also points to the first edition of the BBWAA Reliever of the Year award: Mason Miller (Padres) won it unanimously in the National League, with 38 saves, and Louis Varland (Blue Jays) in the American League, with 16 of 30 first-place votes.
Why it matters
Both winners are in their first full major-league season, ESPN notes. The two outlets give different values for wins above replacement: for Misiorowski, 6.6 (fWAR) according to ESPN and 6.4 (WAR, method not specified) according to CBS Sports; for Schlittler, 6.2 (fWAR) according to ESPN and 7.0 according to CBS Sports. We do not choose between these figures.