Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Robbie Ray recovered after a regular season and took home the Cy-Young Trophy from the American as Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes took the honor in the National on Wednesday.
In a season in which the pitchers dominated, Burnes led the Majors with an earned run average of 2.43 while Ray led the American with an earned run average of 2.84.
Both pitchers also had a strong season in strikeouts, helping their bid.
Ray received 29 first-place votes, becoming the first Blue Jays pitcher to win the trophy since Roy Halladay in 2003.
New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole received the other first-place vote and was second in the ballot, ahead of Chicago White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn.
Ray led Major Baseball with 248 strikeouts and was the American’s most used pitcher as he spent 193 and a third innings on the mound.
Ray, who celebrated his 30e birthday last month, has shown a 13-7 record in 32 starts this season and he helped the Blue Jays stay in the playoff race until the last weekend.
A free agent after turning down the Blue Jays’ qualifying offer on Wednesday, Ray sits first in Majors history for the highest total of strikeouts per nine innings of work (on a minimum of 1,000 innings pitched) . He was selected for the All-Star Game in 2017.
While struggling with his shooting skills, Ray had a bad season in 2020. He finished first in Major Baseball in walks and had a 6.62 earned run average with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Blue Jays.
Selected and signed by the Washington Nationals in the 2010 draft, Ray made his Major debut in 2014 with the Detroit Tigers. This group also included Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello and David Price, who also won the Cy-Young Trophy.
Ray was traded to the Blue Jays on August 31, 2020, in return for reliever Travis Bergen. Heading into the 2021 season, he was claiming a 49-51 record with an earned-run average of 4.26 in seven seasons.
Ray became the fifth pitcher in Blue Jays history to claim the Cy-Young Trophy, following Halladay, Roger Clemens, on two occasions, and Pat Hentgen.
PHOTO AARON GASH, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Corbin Burnes
Burnes edged Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler for the honor. Both players received 12 first place votes from members of the Baseball Columnists Association of America. Scherzer took the third position.
Burnes became the Brewers’ first pitcher to win the National trophy. Pete Vuckovich, in 1982, and Rollie Fingers, in 1981, had received this honor with the Milwaukee troupe when she was in the American.
Burnes was 11-5 with 234 strikeouts in 167 innings of work. He was selected for the All-Star Game in 2021. His number of innings is lower than the other finalists, in particular because he missed two weeks of activities due to a positive test for COVID-19 in May.
In his first season as a regular starter, Burnes set a record hitting 58 strikeouts before allowing a walk. He also tied a Major Baseball record when he passed 10 straight opponents in the mitt in a duel against the Chicago Cubs in August.
Burnes and stopper Josh Hader joined forces to pull off a scoreless hitting game against the Cleveland Indians in September.
Burnes had shown a 4-1 record and a 2.11 earned-run average in the 2020 watched season and he struggled with a strained oblique muscle. This year, he’s come back strong, leading the Majors with an average of 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
The vote for the various trophies was held before the start of the series. Burnes shut out the Atlanta Braves for six innings in the Nationals section series.