Cy Young Award

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Template:Infobox sports award The Cy Young Award, officially the Cy Young Memorial Award,[1] is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford C. Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955. The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, but in 1967, after the retirement of Frick, the award was given to one pitcher in each league.[2][3]

Each league's award is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Local BBWAA chapter chairmen in each MLB city recommend two writers to vote for each award. Final approval comes from the BBWAA national secretary-treasurer. Writers vote for either the American League or National League awards, depending on the league in which their local team plays.[4] A total of 30 writers vote for each league's awards. Writers cast their votes prior to the start of postseason play.[5]

As of the 2010 season, each voter places a vote for first, second, third, fourth, and fifth place among the pitchers of each league. The formula used to calculate the final scores is a weighted sum of the votes.[A] The pitcher with the highest score in each league wins the award.[2] If two pitchers receive the same number of votes, the award is shared.[6] From 1970 to 2009, writers voted for three pitchers, with the formula of five points for a first-place vote, three for a second-place vote and one for a third-place vote. Before 1970, writers only voted for the best pitcher and used a formula of one point per vote.[2]

History

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File:Cy Young by Conlon, 1911-crop.jpg
Cy Young, for whom the award is named.

The Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball Ford C. Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955.[2] Originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, the award changed its format over time. From 1956 to 1966, the award was given to one pitcher in Major League Baseball. After Frick retired in 1967, William Eckert became the new Commissioner of Baseball. Due to fan requests, Eckert announced that the Cy Young Award would be given out both in the American League and the National League.[2] From 1956 to 1958, a pitcher was not allowed to win the award on more than one occasion; this rule was eliminated in 1959. After a tie in the 1969 voting for the Cy Young Award, the process was changed, in which each writer was to vote for three pitchers: the first-place vote received five points, the second-place vote received three points, and the third-place vote received one point.[2]

The first recipient of the Cy Young Award was Don Newcombe of the Dodgers. The Dodgers are the franchise with the most Cy Young Awards. In 1957, Warren Spahn became the first left-handed pitcher to win the award. In 1963, Sandy Koufax became the first pitcher to win the award in a unanimous vote; two years later he became the first multiple winner. In 1978, Gaylord Perry (age 40) became the oldest pitcher to receive the award, a record that stood until broken in 2004 by Roger Clemens (age 42).[2] The youngest recipients were Dwight Gooden (age 20 in 1985) and Fernando Valenzuela. In 2012, R. A. Dickey became the first knuckleball pitcher to win the award.[7]

In 1974, Mike Marshall became the first relief pitcher to win the award.[2] In 1992, Dennis Eckersley was the first modern closer (first player to be used almost exclusively in ninth-inning situations)[8][9][10] to win the award. Since then only one other relief pitcher has won the award, Éric Gagné in 2003 (also a closer). Nine relief pitchers have won the Cy Young Award across both leagues.[11]

Steve Carlton in 1982 became the first pitcher to win more than three Cy Young Awards, while Greg Maddux in 1994 became the first to win at least three in a row (and received a fourth straight the following year), a feat later repeated by Randy Johnson.[12]

Winners

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Key
Year Each year is linked to an article about that Major League Baseball season.
ERA Earned run average
(#) Number of wins by pitchers who have won the award multiple times
* Also named Most Valuable Player (11 occurrences as of 2025)
** Also named Rookie of the Year (1 occurrence as of 2025, by Fernando Valenzuela)
dagger Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (22 individuals as of 2025)

Major Leagues combined (1956–1966)

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File:Don Newcombe 1955.png
Don Newcombe, the first winner
Year Pitcher Team Record[B] Saves[C] ERA Ks
Template:Mlby Don Newcombe* Brooklyn Dodgers (NL) 27–7 0 3.06 139
Template:Mlby Warren SpahnHall of Fame Milwaukee Braves (NL) 21–11 3 2.69 111
Template:Mlby Bob Turley New York Yankees (AL) 21–7 1 2.97 168
Template:Mlby Early WynnHall of Fame Chicago White Sox (AL) 22–10 0 3.17 179
Template:Mlby Vern Law Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) 20–9 0 3.08 120
Template:Mlby Whitey FordHall of Fame New York Yankees (AL) 25–4 0 3.21 209
Template:Mlby Don DrysdaleHall of Fame Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) 25–9 1 2.84 232
Template:Mlby Sandy Koufax*Hall of Fame Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) 25–5 0 1.88 306
Template:Mlby Dean Chance Los Angeles Angels (AL) 20–9 4 1.65 207
Template:Mlby Sandy KoufaxHall of Fame (2) Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) 26–8 2 2.04 382
Template:Mlby Sandy KoufaxHall of Fame (3) Los Angeles Dodgers (NL) 27–9 0 1.73 317

American League (1967–present)

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File:Tarik Skubal (53947874625) (cropped).jpg
Tarik Skubal, 2024, and 2025 AL winner
Year Pitcher Team Record[B] Saves[C] ERA Ks
Template:Mlby Jim Lonborg Boston Red Sox 22–9 0 3.16 246
Template:Mlby Denny McLain* Detroit Tigers 31–6 0 1.96 280
Template:Mlby Mike Cuellar Baltimore Orioles 23–11 0 2.38 182
Template:Mlby Denny McLain (2) Detroit Tigers 24–9 0 2.80 181
Template:Mlby Jim Perry Minnesota Twins 24–12 0 3.04 168
Template:Mlby Vida Blue* Oakland Athletics 24–8 0 1.82 301
Template:Mlby Gaylord PerryHall of Fame Cleveland Indians 24–16 1 1.92 234
Template:Mlby Jim PalmerHall of Fame Baltimore Orioles 22–9 1 2.40 168
Template:Mlby Catfish HunterHall of Fame Oakland Athletics 25–12 0 2.49 143
Template:Mlby Jim PalmerHall of Fame (2) Baltimore Orioles 23–11 1 2.09 193
Template:Mlby Jim PalmerHall of Fame (3) Baltimore Orioles 22–13 0 2.51 159
Template:Mlby Sparky Lyle New York Yankees 13–5 26 2.17 68
Template:Mlby Ron Guidry New York Yankees 25–3 0 1.74 248
Template:Mlby Mike Flanagan Baltimore Orioles 23–9 0 3.08 190
Template:Mlby Steve Stone Baltimore Orioles 25–7 0 3.23 149
Template:Mlby Rollie Fingers*Hall of Fame Milwaukee Brewers 6–3 28 1.04 61
Template:Mlby Pete Vuckovich Milwaukee Brewers 18–6 0 3.34 105
Template:Mlby LaMarr Hoyt Chicago White Sox 24–10 0 3.66 148
Template:Mlby Willie Hernández* Detroit Tigers 9–3 32 1.92 112
Template:Mlby Bret Saberhagen Kansas City Royals 20–6 0 2.87 158
Template:Mlby Roger Clemens* Boston Red Sox 24–4 0 2.48 238
Template:Mlby Roger Clemens (2) Boston Red Sox 20–9 0 2.97 256
Template:Mlby Frank Viola Minnesota Twins 24–7 0 2.64 193
Template:Mlby Bret Saberhagen (2) Kansas City Royals 23–6 0 2.16 193
Template:Mlby Bob Welch Oakland Athletics 27–6 0 2.95 127
Template:Mlby Roger Clemens (3) Boston Red Sox 18–10 0 2.62 241
Template:Mlby Dennis Eckersley*Hall of Fame Oakland Athletics 7–1 51 1.91 93
Template:Mlby Jack McDowell Chicago White Sox 22–10 0 3.37 158
Template:Mlby David Cone Kansas City Royals 16–5 0 2.94 132
Template:Mlby Randy JohnsonHall of Fame Seattle Mariners 18–2 0 2.48 294
Template:Mlby Pat Hentgen Toronto Blue Jays 20–10 0 3.22 177
Template:Mlby Roger Clemens (4) Toronto Blue Jays 21–7 0 2.05 292
Template:Mlby Roger Clemens (5) Toronto Blue Jays 20–6 0 2.65 271
Template:Mlby Pedro MartínezHall of Fame (2) Boston Red Sox 23–4 0 2.07 313
Template:Mlby Pedro MartínezHall of Fame (3) Boston Red Sox 18–6 0 1.74 284
Template:Mlby Roger Clemens (6) New York Yankees 20–3 0 3.51 213
Template:Mlby Barry Zito Oakland Athletics 23–5 0 2.75 182
Template:Mlby Roy HalladayHall of Fame Toronto Blue Jays 22–7 0 3.25 204
Template:Mlby Johan Santana Minnesota Twins 20–6 0 2.61 265
Template:Mlby Bartolo Colón Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 21–8 0 3.48 157
Template:Mlby Johan Santana (2) Minnesota Twins 19–6 0 2.77 265
Template:Mlby CC SabathiaHall of Fame Cleveland Indians 19–7 0 3.21 209
Template:Mlby Cliff Lee Cleveland Indians 22–3 0 2.54 170
Template:Mlby Zack Greinke Kansas City Royals 16–8 0 2.16 242
Template:Mlby Félix Hernández Seattle Mariners 13–12 0 2.27 232
Template:Mlby Justin Verlander* Detroit Tigers 24–5 0 2.40 250
Template:Mlby David Price Tampa Bay Rays 20–5 0 2.56 205
Template:Mlby Max Scherzer Detroit Tigers 21–3 0 2.90 240
Template:Mlby Corey Kluber Cleveland Indians 18–9 0 2.44 269
Template:Mlby Dallas Keuchel Houston Astros 20–8 0 2.48 216
Template:Mlby Rick Porcello Boston Red Sox 22–4 0 3.15 189
Template:Mlby Corey Kluber (2) Cleveland Indians 18–4 0 2.25 265
Template:Mlby Blake Snell Tampa Bay Rays 21–5 0 1.89 221
Template:Mlby Justin Verlander (2) Houston Astros 21–6 0 2.58 300
Template:Mlby Shane Bieber Cleveland Indians 8–1 0 1.63 122
Template:Mlby Robbie Ray Toronto Blue Jays 13–7 0 2.84 248
Template:Mlby Justin Verlander (3) Houston Astros 18–4 0 1.75 185
Template:Mlby Gerrit Cole New York Yankees 15–4 0 2.63 222
Template:Mlby Tarik Skubal Detroit Tigers 18–4 0 2.39 228
Template:Mlby Tarik Skubal (2) Detroit Tigers 13–6 0 2.21 241

National League (1967–present)

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File:Paul Skenes of the Pirates.png
Paul Skenes, 2025 NL winner
Year Pitcher Team Record[B] Saves[C] ERA Ks
Template:Mlby Mike McCormick San Francisco Giants 22–10 0 2.85 150
Template:Mlby Bob Gibson*Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals 22–9 0 1.12 268
Template:Mlby Tom SeaverHall of Fame New York Mets 25–7 0 2.21 208
Template:Mlby Bob GibsonHall of Fame (2) St. Louis Cardinals 23–7 0 3.12 274
Template:Mlby Ferguson JenkinsHall of Fame Chicago Cubs 24–13 0 2.77 263
Template:Mlby Steve CarltonHall of Fame Philadelphia Phillies 27–10 0 1.98 310
Template:Mlby Tom SeaverHall of Fame (2) New York Mets 19–10 0 2.08 251
Template:Mlby Mike Marshall Los Angeles Dodgers 15–12 21 2.42 143
Template:Mlby Tom SeaverHall of Fame (3) New York Mets 22–9 0 2.38 243
Template:Mlby Randy Jones San Diego Padres 22–14 0 2.74 93
Template:Mlby Steve CarltonHall of Fame (2) Philadelphia Phillies 23–10 0 2.64 198
Template:Mlby Gaylord PerryHall of Fame (2) San Diego Padres 21–6 0 2.73 154
Template:Mlby Bruce SutterHall of Fame Chicago Cubs 6–6 37 2.22 110
Template:Mlby Steve CarltonHall of Fame (3) Philadelphia Phillies 24–9 0 2.34 286
Template:Mlby Fernando Valenzuela** Los Angeles Dodgers 13–7 0 2.48 180
Template:Mlby Steve CarltonHall of Fame (4) Philadelphia Phillies 23–11 0 3.11 286
Template:Mlby John Denny Philadelphia Phillies 19–6 0 2.37 139
Template:Mlby Rick Sutcliffe Chicago Cubs 16–1 0 2.69 155
Template:Mlby Dwight Gooden New York Mets 24–4 0 1.53 268
Template:Mlby Mike Scott Houston Astros 18–10 0 2.22 306
Template:Mlby Steve Bedrosian Philadelphia Phillies 5–3 40 2.83 74
Template:Mlby Orel Hershiser Los Angeles Dodgers 23–8 1 2.26 178
Template:Mlby Mark Davis San Diego Padres 4–3 44 1.85 92
Template:Mlby Doug Drabek Pittsburgh Pirates 22–6 0 2.76 131
Template:Mlby Tom GlavineHall of Fame Atlanta Braves 20–11 0 2.55 192
Template:Mlby Greg MadduxHall of Fame Chicago Cubs 20–11 0 2.18 199
Template:Mlby Greg MadduxHall of Fame (2) Atlanta Braves 20–10 0 2.36 197
Template:Mlby Greg MadduxHall of Fame (3) Atlanta Braves 16–6 0 1.56 156
Template:Mlby Greg MadduxHall of Fame (4) Atlanta Braves 19–2 0 1.63 181
Template:Mlby John SmoltzHall of Fame Atlanta Braves 24–8 0 2.94 276
Template:Mlby Pedro MartínezHall of Fame Montreal Expos 17–8 0 1.90 305
Template:Mlby Tom GlavineHall of Fame (2) Atlanta Braves 20–6 0 2.47 157
Template:Mlby Randy JohnsonHall of Fame (2) Arizona Diamondbacks 17–9 0 2.49 364
Template:Mlby Randy JohnsonHall of Fame (3) Arizona Diamondbacks 19–7 0 2.64 347
Template:Mlby Randy JohnsonHall of Fame (4) Arizona Diamondbacks 21–6 0 2.49 372
Template:Mlby Randy JohnsonHall of Fame (5) Arizona Diamondbacks 24–5 0 2.32 334
Template:Mlby Éric Gagné Los Angeles Dodgers 2–3 55 1.20 137
Template:Mlby Roger Clemens (7) Houston Astros 18–4 0 2.98 218
Template:Mlby Chris Carpenter St. Louis Cardinals 21–5 0 2.83 213
Template:Mlby Brandon Webb Arizona Diamondbacks 16–8 0 3.10 178
Template:Mlby Jake Peavy San Diego Padres 19–6 0 2.54 240
Template:Mlby Tim Lincecum San Francisco Giants 18–5 0 2.62 265
Template:Mlby Tim Lincecum (2) San Francisco Giants 15–7 0 2.48 261
Template:Mlby Roy HalladayHall of Fame (2) Philadelphia Phillies 21–10 0 2.44 219
Template:Mlby Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers 21–5 0 2.28 248
Template:Mlby R. A. Dickey New York Mets 20–6 0 2.73 230
Template:Mlby Clayton Kershaw (2) Los Angeles Dodgers 16–9 0 1.83 232
Template:Mlby Clayton Kershaw* (3) Los Angeles Dodgers 21–3 0 1.77 239
Template:Mlby Jake Arrieta Chicago Cubs 22–6 0 1.77 236
Template:Mlby Max Scherzer (2) Washington Nationals 20–7 0 2.96 284
Template:Mlby Max Scherzer (3) Washington Nationals 16–6 0 2.51 268
Template:Mlby Jacob deGrom New York Mets 10–9 0 1.70 269
Template:Mlby Jacob deGrom (2) New York Mets 11–8 0 2.43 255
Template:Mlby Trevor Bauer Cincinnati Reds 5–4 0 1.73 100
Template:Mlby Corbin Burnes Milwaukee Brewers 11–5 0 2.43 234
Template:Mlby Sandy Alcántara Miami Marlins 14–9 0 2.28 207
Template:Mlby Blake Snell (2) San Diego Padres 14–9 0 2.25 234
Template:Mlby Chris Sale Atlanta Braves 18–3 0 2.38 225
Template:Mlby Paul Skenes Pittsburgh Pirates 10–10 0 1.97 216

Multiple winners

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File:Roger clemens 2004.jpg
With 7, Roger Clemens has the most Cy Young Awards.
File:Big Unit 2009.jpg
Randy Johnson, five-time Cy Young Award winner.

Twenty-three (23) pitchers have won the award multiple times. Roger Clemens has won the most Cy Young Awards, with seven. His first and last wins were 18 years apart. Greg Maddux (1992–1995) and Randy Johnson (1999–2002) share the record for the most consecutive awards won, with four. Clemens, Johnson, Pedro Martínez, Gaylord Perry, Roy Halladay, Max Scherzer, and Blake Snell are the only pitchers to win the award in both the American League and National League. Sandy Koufax is the only pitcher to win multiple awards during the period when only one award was presented for all of MLB. Roger Clemens was the youngest pitcher to win a second Cy Young Award, while Tim Lincecum is the youngest pitcher to do so in the National League, and Clayton Kershaw is the youngest left-hander to do so. Kershaw is the youngest pitcher to win a third Cy Young Award. Clemens is also the only pitcher to win the award with four different teams; nobody else has done so with more than two different teams. Justin Verlander has the most seasons separating his first (2011) and second (2019) Cy Young Awards.

Pitcher # of Awards Years
Roger Clemens 7 1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004
Randy Johnson Hall of Fame 5 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
Steve Carlton Hall of Fame 4 1972, 1977, 1980, 1982
Greg Maddux Hall of Fame 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
Sandy Koufax Hall of Fame 3 1963, 1965, 1966
Tom Seaver Hall of Fame 1969, 1973, 1975
Jim Palmer Hall of Fame 1973, 1975, 1976
Pedro Martínez Hall of Fame 1997, 1999, 2000
Clayton Kershaw 2011, 2013, 2014
Max Scherzer 2013, 2016, 2017
Justin Verlander 2011, 2019, 2022
Denny McLain 2 1968, 1969
Bob Gibson Hall of Fame 1968, 1970
Gaylord Perry Hall of Fame 1972, 1978
Bret Saberhagen 1985, 1989
Tom Glavine Hall of Fame 1991, 1998
Johan Santana 2004, 2006
Tim Lincecum 2008, 2009
Roy Halladay Hall of Fame 2003, 2010
Corey Kluber 2014, 2017
Jacob deGrom 2018, 2019
Blake Snell 2018, 2023
Tarik Skubal 2024, 2025

Wins by teams

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Only two teams have never had a pitcher win the Cy Young Award. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have won more than any other team with 12.

Team # of Awards Years
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers 12 1956, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1981, 1988, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2014
Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves 8 1957, 1991, 1993–1996, 1998, 2024
Detroit Tigers 7 1968, 1969, 1984, 2011, 2013, 2024, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies 1972, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 2010
Boston Red Sox 1967, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2016
New York Mets 1969, 1973, 1975, 1985, 2012, 2018, 2019
Baltimore Orioles 6 1969, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980
Cleveland Indians 1972, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2017, 2020
New York Yankees 1958, 1961, 1977, 1978, 2001, 2023
Arizona Diamondbacks 5 1999–2002, 2006
Oakland Athletics 1971, 1974, 1990, 1992, 2002
Chicago Cubs 1971, 1979, 1984, 1992, 2015
Toronto Blue Jays 1996–1998, 2003, 2021
Houston Astros 1986, 2004, 2015, 2019, 2022
San Diego Padres 1976, 1978, 1989, 2007, 2023
Kansas City Royals 4 1985, 1989, 1994, 2009
Minnesota Twins 1970, 1988, 2004, 2006
Chicago White Sox 3 1959, 1983, 1993
Pittsburgh Pirates 1960, 1990, 2025
San Francisco Giants 1967, 2008, 2009
St. Louis Cardinals 1968, 1970, 2005
Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals 1997, 2016, 2017
Milwaukee Brewers 1981, 1982, 2021
Los Angeles Angels 2 1964, 2005
Seattle Mariners 1995, 2010
Tampa Bay Rays 2012, 2018
Cincinnati Reds 1 2020
Miami Marlins 2022
Colorado Rockies 0 none
Texas Rangers none

Unanimous winners

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There have been 22 players who unanimously won the Cy Young Award, for a total of 29 wins.

Six of these unanimous wins were accompanied by a win of the Most Valuable Player award (marked with * below; ** denotes that the player's unanimous win was accompanied by a unanimous win of the MVP Award).

In the National League, 13 players have unanimously won the Cy Young Award, for a total of 16 wins.

In the American League, nine players have unanimously won the Cy Young Award, for a total of 13 wins.

See also

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Notes

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  • A The formula is: Score = 7F + 4S + 3T + 2FO + FI, where F is the number of first-place votes, S is second-place votes, T is third-place votes, FO is fourth-place votes and FI is fifth-place votes.[2]
  • a b c See: Decision (baseball)
  • a b c In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. It became an official statistic in Major League Baseball in 1969.

References

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Specific

  1. ↑ "Why the Cy Young Award was named after Cy Young". MLB.com. November 13, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Cy Young Award". Baseball Almanac. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Cy Young Award Winners (American League)". Encarta. Archived from the original on November 1, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Voting FAQ". BBWAA. September 11, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  5. ↑ "AL & NL Cy Young Award Odds". www.sportsbetting3.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Cy Young Award voting results". Baseball Digest. 2004. Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  7. ↑ Rubin, Adam (November 14, 2012). "R. A. Dickey wins NL Cy Young". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ Zimniuch, Fran (August 1, 2018). Baseball's New Frontier: A History of Expansion, 1961-1998. U of Nebraska Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-4962-1004-3. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  9. ↑ Passan, Jeff (April 26, 2010). "Should managers play Scrabble with relievers?". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  10. ↑ Jenkins, Chris (September 25, 2006). "Where's the fire?". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011.
  11. ↑ Kepner, Tyler (October 1, 2016). "Zach Britton Is Perfectly Unorthodox Choice for Cy Young Award". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  12. ↑ "These pitchers won back-to-back Cy Young Awards". MLB.com. November 9, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2025.

General

Template:AL Cy Young Template:NL Cy Young Template:MLB awards Template:MLB Combined Cy Young

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