By the end of the 2023 Major League Baseball season, Blake Snell had left no doubt. The Padres' left-handed pitcher secured his second Cy Young Award Wednesday, the fifth in the club's history.
Snell led Major League starters with a 2.25 ERA, the second-best mark of his career trailing his 2018 season (1.89) with the Rays. His 234 strikeouts set a new personal best and trailed only Atlanta's Spencer Strider in the National League. Opposing hitters managed a .181 batting average against Snell, who was the only qualified starter to post a number under .200. Snell seldom gave up home runs, allowing just 15 over the course of 32 starts.
He finished the season with a 14-9 record.
The NL race featured Strider, Arizona's Zac Gallen and Chicago's Justin Steele - but Snell separated himself down the stretch.
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A Death in the Friar's Family
Snell finished the season with one of the best stretches of 20-plus starts in MLB history. From May 25 on, the third-year Padre had a 1.20 ERA over 135.0 innings. He allowed just 19 runs over 23 starts, only surrendering six home runs. Meanwhile, he struck out 186 batters, good for more than eight a game. Batters hit just .156 against him with a .489 OPS.
Snell became the first pitcher to rack up more than 170 punchouts and fewer than 20 earned runs over the span of 23 starts, According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs. No pitcher had gone that many appearances in a single season with an ERA of 1.20 since Bob Gibson in 1968.
Snell capped his campaign with nine consecutive quality starts and shutouts in five of his last six. He put an end to any Cy Young discussion with an 0.47 ERA in his final six starts. Snell struck out 50 batters, allowed two earned runs and no homers. Opposing hitters had a .116 average and .374 OPS in those games.
Those starts included seven no-hit innings against the Rockies on September 19.
Snell joins Jake Peavy (2007), Mark Davis (1989), Garylord Perry (1978), and Randy Jones (1976) as Padres to claim the National League Cy Young Award.
The honor comes in what is expected to be Snell's final season in San Diego. Snell is at the top of the list of this year's free agent pitchers in an offseason where top arms are expected to command top dollar. San Diego is reportedly trimming payroll this winter, likely leaving no room for Snell.
Snell arrived in a trade with Tampa Bay before the 2021 season. In three seasons with the Padres he boasted a 3.15 ERA, 1.232 WHIP, and finished with a 29-25 record.
Celebrations of the well-earned honors for Snell were tempered after Tuesday's sad news about the death of team owner Peter Seidler, whose passing continues to be mourned by friends and family, as well as fans who placed flowers at a growing memorial at a set of steps outside Petco Park.
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