Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees were unanimous winners of the 2026 Cy Young Awards, an outcome that reflected their status as the season’s most dominant starting pitchers.
Misiorowski received all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The 24-year-old helped lead Milwaukee to its first World Series championship and finished ahead of Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez and Atlanta Braves veteran Chris Sale.
Schlittler also earned every first-place vote in the American League. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease placed second, followed by Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick.
Wednesday’s announcement also named San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller and Toronto’s Louis Varland the first winners of their leagues’ Reliever of the Year awards.
Misiorowski posted a 1.80 ERA, the best among major league starters, and struck out 252 batters in 30 starts, leading the league in that category as well. He finished with a 0.80 WHIP and a 6.6 fWAR, the highest mark among pitchers, while the Brewers won 103 regular-season games.
He became the fourth pitcher to win the Cy Young Award as a Brewer. Corbin Burnes was the most recent, in 2021; Pete Vuckovich and Rollie Fingers won in 1982 and 1981, respectively.
Misiorowski also joined an unusually exclusive group, becoming the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2001 to win both the Cy Young and the World Series in the same season.
The 6-foot-7 right-hander regularly threw in the triple digits. In June, his 105.5 mph fastball against Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong became the fastest pitch recorded by a starting pitcher in the Statcast era. Misiorowski averaged 100.6 mph with his fastball and threw more than 1,000 pitches at that velocity or higher.
Schlittler, 25, also brought a triple-digit fastball to the Yankees’ rotation. Though Misiorowski’s velocity was greater, Schlittler emerged as an ace in his first full season, even with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Max Fried also in the rotation.
Schlittler led the American League with a 1.95 ERA and struck out 239 batters over 33 starts. The Yankees finished the regular season with baseball’s best team ERA, and Schlittler contributed by allowing one run or fewer in 21 of his outings.
He was especially effective on the road, recording a 1.16 ERA in 17 starts away from Yankee Stadium.
A Massachusetts native and childhood Red Sox fan, Schlittler came through the Yankees’ minor league system after being selected in the seventh round out of Northeastern. He has said his velocity climbed from the low 90s into the upper 90s after mechanical adjustments and added strength, with his fastball sometimes reaching triple digits. He pairs it with a curveball, cutter and sinker, and has shown an ability to locate his pitches as well as throw them hard.
Schlittler had already made an impression in the 2025 American League Wild Card Series, striking out 12 and holding his boyhood team scoreless for eight innings in Game 3. He showed that performance was no fluke this season, then beat Boston again in the Wild Card Series, starting Game 1 as the Yankees’ ace.
Both award winners appear to have long careers ahead. Misiorowski has already added a World Series title to his résumé.
