Snell, deGrom win Cy Young awards

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Blake Snell and New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom were named the winners of the Cy Young Award in the American and National League, respectively, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced on Wednesday. Snell led the majors with 21 victories, while deGrom lead the majors with a 1.70 ERA despite a 10-9 record. The 25-year-old Snell received 17 first-place votes and 169 total points to edge Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (13, 154). Cleveland Indians right-hander Corey Kluber (4, 71) was third and Boston left-hander Chris Sale (2, 59) was fourth. The 30-year-old deGrom was a landslide winner by receiving 29 of 30 first-place votes and totaling 207 points. Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer (123) received the other first-place vote while finishing second, and Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (86) was a distant third. DeGrom's win total is the lowest for a Cy Young winner. Fernando Valenzuela (13-7 in strike-shortened 1981) of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Felix Hernandez (13-12 in 2010) of the Seattle Mariners shared the previous low victory total. DeGrom's ERA is the sixth-lowest by a Cy Young winner, regardless of league. His selection marks the sixth time a Mets' pitcher has won the award, adding to the awards won by Tom Seaver (1969, 1973, 1975), Dwight Gooden (1985) and R.A. Dickey (2012). The 269 strikeouts in 32 games were a career best for deGrom. Snell led the AL with a 1.89 ERA while going 21-5 with 221 strikeouts in 31 starts. He also held batters to a league-low .178 average and limited opponents to a .088 average (10-for-114) with runners in scoring position -- the latter being the lowest by an AL pitcher since the league began using a designated hitter in 1973. Snell joins David Price (2012) as the only Rays to win the Cy Young. Verlander, who won the Cy Young in 2011, finished second for the third time and was part of the top five for the seventh time. He went 16-9 with a 2.52 ERA and an AL-leading 290 strikeout in 34 starts. Scherzer led the majors with a career-high 300 strikeouts. The three-time Cy Young winner went 18-7 with a 2.53 ERA in 33 starts. --Field Level Media