Jacob Misiorowski Wins NL Cy Young in Unanimous Vote

Jacob Misiorowski swept the voting for the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, claiming all 30 first-place ballots cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander joined a rare group of hurlers by securing the honor unanimously. ESPN reported that the 24-year-old ace finished the season going 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 252 strikeouts across 30 starts and 174⅔ innings.

Misiorowski led the major leagues in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts while anchoring a pitching staff for a club that won an MLB-best 103 games, according to ESPN. BBWAA records show he is only the second Brewers pitcher to win the Cy Young in the National League, following Corbin Burnes in 2021.

Rollie Fingers in 1981 and Pete Vuckovich in 1982 also won the award for Milwaukee, though those came in the American League before the franchise moved to the NL in 1998, BBWAA reported. The unanimous election marks the 17th time an NL pitcher has swept the vote.

Velocity Records and Historical Context

ESPN reported that Misiorowski averaged 100.6 mph with his four-seam fastball, reaching a Statcast-era starter record of 105.5 mph in June against Pete Crow-Armstrong. He threw more than 1,000 pitches at 100 mph or faster during the campaign.

His 232 ERA+ marked the best full-season figure since Pedro Martinez recorded a 291 ERA+ in 2000, according to ESPN. MLB.com said that Misiorowski joined Martinez in 2000 and Justin Verlander in 2019 as the only pitchers in history with at least 250 strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.80 or lower.

Jacob Misiorowski is the Unanimous 2026 NL CY YOUNG AWARD Winner (Milwaukee's ace Dominated!) — MLB

Misiorowski became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2001 to win both the Cy Young Award and the World Series in the same season, ESPN reported. Across the league, New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler also won the American League Cy Young Award unanimously, marking just the third time in MLB history that both league winners swept their respective ballots, according to BBWAA.

Sánchez and Sale finish behind Misiorowski in voting

Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies finished as the runner-up in the balloting for the second consecutive year, earning 17 second-place votes and 199 total points, per BBWAA data. BBWAA said that Sánchez is the fifth pitcher to place second in back-to-back Cy Young voting, joining Brandon Webb, Curt Schilling, Dan Quisenberry, and Warren Spahn.

Jacob Misiorowski Wins NL Cy Young in Unanimous Vote
Photo: ESPN

Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves finished third in the voting with 11 first-place votes and 98 points. Misiorowski, Sánchez, and Sale appeared on all 30 submitted ballots, which were cast prior to the start of the postseason.

The voting system awards seven points for a first-place vote, four for second, three for third, two for fourth, and one for fifth. Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers placed fourth with 63 points, while Jesús Luzardo of the Phillies finished fifth with 34 points, according to BBWAA.

Questions about Cy Young ballots and voting results

When were the 2026 Cy Young Award ballots submitted?

BBWAA records show that all 30 ballots were cast prior to the start of the postseason play.

Which pitchers finished behind Misiorowski in the top five of the NL vote?

Cristopher Sánchez placed second with 199 points, Chris Sale took third with 98 points, Yoshinobu Yamamoto finished fourth with 63 points, and Jesús Luzardo rounded out the top five with 34 points, according to BBWAA.

How many times have both league winners swept the Cy Young voting?

BBWAA reported that this is only the third time in MLB history that both leagues featured unanimous Cy Young winners, following previous dual sweeps in 2022 and 1968.