The best pitcher never to have won a Cy Young Award is about to lose his bittersweet title. With four starts left (or five if he oddly pushes it), Gerrit Cole of the Yankees has the inside track to the AL Cy Young.
There is still time for Sonny Gray, his chief competitor, to make a run, as well as Kevin Gausman, Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Framber Valdez. But they will need Cole to fall to back of the pack, given that he leads the league in innings, ERA, winning percentage and WAR.
Cole (13–4, 2.90) has had bigger seasons—2015 and 2019 come to mind—but with Shohei Ohtani injured and no outlier seasons, the competition is breaking right for him this time. He has received Cy Young votes six times, including two runner-up finishes.
