Winning a Cy Young Award is the ultimate "you’ve made it" moment for an MLB pitcher. It’s the kind of thing that gets mentioned in the first sentence of your Hall of Fame plaque. Honestly, if you’re a starter and you don’t have one of these on your mantle, there’s always going to be a "yeah, but" attached to your legacy.
But what is the Cy Young Award, exactly?
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Basically, it is the trophy given annually to the best pitcher in the American League and the National League. It’s not like the Gold Glove, which focuses on defense, or the MVP, which—let’s be real—usually goes to a guy who hits home runs. This one is strictly for the arms. Named after Denton True "Cy" Young, a guy who won 511 games (a record that will literally never be broken unless someone starts pitching doubleheaders for 30 years), the award has become the gold standard for pitching excellence since it was first handed out in 1956.
How the Cy Young Award Actually Works
Back in the day, from 1956 to 1966, there was only one winner for the entire league. Commissioner Ford Frick thought one was enough. But then he retired, and in 1967, they started giving one to each league. Smart move. It doubled the drama and gave more guys a shot at immortality.
Today, the voting is handled by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).
It’s not some fan vote or a social media popularity contest. Two writers from every MLB city get a ballot. That’s 30 voters for the AL and 30 for the NL. They have to submit their votes before the playoffs start. This is a huge point of contention every year. If a guy shoves in the World Series but was just "pretty good" in August, it doesn't matter. The regular season is the only thing that counts.
The points system is a bit of a math project.
- First place: 7 points
- Second place: 4 points
- Third place: 3 points
- Fourth place: 2 points
- Fifth place: 1 point
If you’re wondering why some guys win "unanimously," it’s because they snagged all 30 first-place votes. It just happened in 2025 with Paul Skenes in the National League. The kid was basically unhittable. When the dust settled, he had a 1.97 ERA and all 30 writers put him at the top of their list.
The Shift From Wins to "Nerdy" Stats
If you looked at a ballot from 1990, the guy with the most Wins usually won. Period. Bob Welch won 27 games in 1990 and took home the hardware despite having a much higher ERA than Roger Clemens.
Fast forward to now, and "Wins" are almost a dirty word in some voting circles.
Voters have gotten way smarter. Or nerdier. Take 2010, when Felix Hernandez won with only 13 wins. People lost their minds. "How can a guy with 12 losses be the best pitcher?" Well, because his team couldn't score a run if their lives depended on it, but his ERA and strikeout numbers were off the charts. Nowadays, writers look at things like WHIP (Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched), FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), and WAR (Wins Above Replacement). They want to know how good the pitcher was, not how good his team’s offense was.
The 2025 Race: A Case Study in Dominance
Look at Tarik Skubal. He just won his second straight AL Cy Young in 2025. He didn't just win; he dominated. He led the league in ERA (2.21) and WHIP (0.89). When you see a guy leading in those categories, the voting becomes a lot less about "who do I like?" and more about "who can actually get a hitter out?"
Skubal joined a very short list of pitchers—just 12 in history—to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
The Weird Rules and "Firsts"
Most people don't realize that for the first three years (1956-1958), a pitcher wasn't even allowed to win the award more than once. They fixed that rule in 1959, which was a relief because, otherwise, Sandy Koufax would have been robbed of some serious trophy space.
Speaking of Koufax, he was the first guy to win it unanimously back in 1963.
And let’s talk about relief pitchers. Yes, they can win it. It’s rare—kinda like seeing a no-hitter in person—but it happens. Sparky Lyle, Rollie Fingers, and Dennis Eckersley all have one. But as the game has changed and starters throw fewer innings, the bar for a reliever to win is now incredibly high. You basically have to be perfect for 70 innings to even get a look.
Why This Award Matters for 2026 and Beyond
If you’re following the 2026 season, the Cy Young talk starts on Opening Day. Every start is a data point.
Right now, everyone is looking at Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Paul Skenes to see if they can maintain that historic pace. For a young pitcher, winning this award doesn't just mean a bigger contract; it changes how the entire league approaches you. Managers start managing differently when "the Cy Young winner" is on the mound the next day.
Practical Takeaway for Fans:
If you want to predict who will win the next Cy Young, stop looking at the "W-L" column on the scoreboard. Instead, check the leaderboards for ERA+ and Strikeout-to-Walk ratio. Those are the numbers the writers are obsessed with. Also, keep an eye on the "Top 3" finalists announced in November—if a guy isn't in that group, he never had a shot.
The Cy Young Award isn't just a trophy; it's a permanent stamp of "Best in the World" for that specific year. And in a game as hard as baseball, that's saying something.