Cy Young Award

The Cy Young Award, officially the Cy Young Memorial Award, is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, one each for the American League and National League. 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.
Each league's award is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. 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. A total of 30 writers vote for each league's awards. Writers cast their votes prior to the start of postseason play.
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. The pitcher with the highest score in each league wins the award. If two pitchers receive the same number of votes, the award is shared. 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.

History

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. 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. 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.
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 became the oldest pitcher to receive the award, a record that stood until broken in 2004 by Roger Clemens. The youngest recipients were Dwight Gooden and Fernando Valenzuela. In 2012, R. A. Dickey became the first knuckleball pitcher to win the award.
In 1974, Mike Marshall became the first relief pitcher to win the award. In 1992, Dennis Eckersley was the first modern closer to win the award. Since then only one other relief pitcher has won the award, Éric Gagné in 2003. Nine relief pitchers have won the Cy Young Award across both leagues.
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, a feat later repeated by Randy Johnson.

Winners

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 Award\|Most Valuable Player]
**	Also named Rookie of the Year Award\|Rookie of the Year]
	Member of the National [Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]

Major Leagues combined (1956–1966)

Year	Pitcher	Team	Record	Saves	ERA	Ks
	*	Brooklyn Dodgers	27–7	0	3.06	139
		Milwaukee Braves	21–11	3	2.69	111
		New York Yankees	21–7	1	2.97	168
		Chicago White Sox	22–10	0	3.17	179
		Pittsburgh Pirates	20–9	0	3.08	120
		New York Yankees	25–4	0	3.21	209
		Los Angeles Dodgers	25–9	1	2.84	232
	*	Los Angeles Dodgers	25–5	0	1.88	306
		Los Angeles Angels	20–9	4	1.65	207
		Los Angeles Dodgers	26–8	2	2.04	382
		Los Angeles Dodgers	27–9	0	1.73	317

National League (1967–present)

Year	Pitcher	Team	Record	Saves	ERA	Ks
		San Francisco Giants	22–10	0	2.85	150
	*	St. Louis Cardinals	22–9	0	1.12	268
		New York Mets	25–7	0	2.21	208
		St. Louis Cardinals	23–7	0	3.12	274
		Chicago Cubs	24–13	0	2.77	263
		Philadelphia Phillies	27–10	0	1.98	310
		New York Mets	19–10	0	2.08	251
		Los Angeles Dodgers	15–12	21	2.42	143
		New York Mets	22–9	0	2.38	243
		San Diego Padres	22–14	0	2.74	93
		Philadelphia Phillies	23–10	0	2.64	198
		San Diego Padres	21–6	0	2.73	154
		Chicago Cubs	6–6	37	2.22	110
		Philadelphia Phillies	24–9	0	2.34	286
	**	Los Angeles Dodgers	13–7	0	2.48	180
		Philadelphia Phillies	23–11	0	3.11	286
		Philadelphia Phillies	19–6	0	2.37	139
		Chicago Cubs	16–1	0	2.69	155
		New York Mets	24–4	0	1.53	268
		Houston Astros	18–10	0	2.22	306
		Philadelphia Phillies	5–3	40	2.83	74
		Los Angeles Dodgers	23–8	1	2.26	178
		San Diego Padres	4–3	44	1.85	92
		Pittsburgh Pirates	22–6	0	2.76	131
		Atlanta Braves	20–11	0	2.55	192
		Chicago Cubs	20–11	0	2.18	199
		Atlanta Braves	20–10	0	2.36	197
		Atlanta Braves	16–6	0	1.56	156
		Atlanta Braves	19–2	0	1.63	181
		Atlanta Braves	24–8	0	2.94	276
		Montreal Expos	17–8	0	1.90	305
		Atlanta Braves	20–6	0	2.47	157
		Arizona Diamondbacks	17–9	0	2.49	364
		Arizona Diamondbacks	19–7	0	2.64	347
		Arizona Diamondbacks	21–6	0	2.49	372
		Arizona Diamondbacks	24–5	0	2.32	334
		Los Angeles Dodgers	2–3	55	1.20	137
		Houston Astros	18–4	0	2.98	218
		St. Louis Cardinals	21–5	0	2.83	213
		Arizona Diamondbacks	16–8	0	3.10	178
		San Diego Padres	19–6	0	2.54	240
		San Francisco Giants	18–5	0	2.62	265
		San Francisco Giants	15–7	0	2.48	261
		Philadelphia Phillies	21–10	0	2.44	219
		Los Angeles Dodgers	21–5	0	2.28	248
		New York Mets	20–6	0	2.73	230
		Los Angeles Dodgers	16–9	0	1.83	232
	*	Los Angeles Dodgers	21–3	0	1.77	239
		Chicago Cubs	22–6	0	1.77	236
		Washington Nationals	20–7	0	2.96	284
		Washington Nationals	16–6	0	2.51	268
		New York Mets	10–9	0	1.70	269
		New York Mets	11–8	0	2.43	255
		Cincinnati Reds	5–4	0	1.73	100
		Milwaukee Brewers	11–5	0	2.43	234
		Miami Marlins	14–9	0	2.28	207
	Blake Snell	San Diego Padres	14–9	0	2.25	234
	Chris Sale	Atlanta Braves	18–3	0	2.38	225
	Paul Skenes	Pittsburgh Pirates	10–10	0	1.97	216

Multiple winners

Twenty-two pitchers have won the award multiple times. Roger Clemens has won the most awards won, seven. His first and last wins were 18 years apart. Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson 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 and second Cy Young Awards.

Pitcher	# of Awards	Years
	7	1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004
	5	1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
	4	1972, 1977, 1980, 1982
	4	1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
	3	1963, 1965, 1966
	3	1969, 1973, 1975
	3	1973, 1975, 1976
	3	1997, 1999, 2000
	3	2011, 2013, 2014
	3	2013, 2016, 2017
	3	2011, 2019, 2022
	2	1968, 1969
	2	1968, 1970
	2	1972, 1978
	2	1985, 1989
	2	1991, 1998
	2	2004, 2006
	2	2008, 2009
	2	2003, 2010
	2	2014, 2017
	2	2018, 2019
	2	2018, 2023
	2	2024, 2025

Wins by teams

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

Unanimous winners

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.
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.