Cam Schlittler clearly left no doubt as to who was the best pitcher in the American League in 2026.
In just his first full major-league season, Schlittler took home the Cy Young award in unanimous fashion, garnering every possible first place vote to beat fellow finalists Dylan Cease and Parker Messick in a landslide. All 30 first-place votes went to the Yankee ace.
Schlittler was dominant from start to finish in 2026, leading the league with a 1.95 ERA. He also led the league with a stellar 7.0 WAR and struck out 11.1 batters per nine innings.
The 25-year-old is the seventh Yankee to win the award, and the latest since Gerrit Cole in 2023. Roger Clemens rounds out the only other Yankee to receive the honor in the 21st century.
"Cam had as dominant a season as a starting pitcher can have from start to finish," manager Aaron Boone said in a statement. "He’s shown an astonishing amount of growth since we drafted him, and his success is no accident. Cam has a tireless appetite for hard work and refinement that has allowed his talents to truly flourish. This Cy Young is richly deserved. Cam was the most dominant pitcher in our league and continues to grow into a foundational player for this franchise.”
Schlittler punctuated his Cy Young season with another postseason dismantling of the rival Red Sox, striking out 10 over 6.2 brilliant innings in game one of the Wild Card Series, which the Yanks won in a sweep for the second year in a row.
The flamethrowing righty beat out his competition by a landslide.
The flamethrowing righty beat out his competition by a landslide.
