A familiar name has been crowned as the National League’s best pitcher in 2023.
Padres pitcher Blake Snell won the NL Cy Young award Wednesday evening, the second of his career. With the Rays, Snell won the American League Cy Young award in 2018.
Snell was one of the lone bright spots on a disappointing San Diego team in 2023. He went 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA, the lowest in Major League Baseball and fourth-lowest in franchise history. His 234 strikeouts were a career high, and he led baseball in advanced metrics such as ERA+ and hits per nine innings.
The Seattle native beat out Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (17-9, 3.47 ERA, 220 strikeouts) and Giants pitcher Logan Webb (11-13, 3.25 ERA, 194 strikeouts) for the honor.
Snell is the seventh pitcher to win the award in both leagues, joining Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Roy Halladay and Max Scherzer.
Snell, 30, is a free agent heading into the 2024 season, and now has two Cy Young awards to his name as he looks to sign his next contract.