Cam Schlittler and Jacob Misiorowski Headline Cy Young Night as Baseball Crowns Its Best Arms

Major League Baseball names its best pitchers on Wednesday night, and the two men at the center of the conversation have spent all season making hitters look helpless. The 2026 Cy Young Awards, voted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, will be revealed on the MLB Awards show, which airs live at 9 p.m. Eastern on MLB Network and streams on MLB.com, MLB.TV and the MLB App from the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas ^[4].

In the American League, the spotlight is on Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler. In the National League, it is on Brewers flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski. Both face strong competition from proven arms.

The American League: Schlittler's Breakout Year

Schlittler led the AL with a 1.95 ERA ^[1]. MLB.com reports he went 14-6 with 239 strikeouts in 193 2/3 innings, led the league with 6.2 wins above replacement by FanGraphs' measure, and held opponents to an AL-best .244 on-base percentage ^[2]. He allowed one run or fewer in 21 starts, the most in the majors, and went 8-2 with a 1.16 ERA on the road ^[2]. His ERA is the third-lowest by a qualified pitcher in Yankees history ^[2].

His manager is not hedging. "He's going to win the Cy Young," Aaron Boone said, according to MLB.com ^[2].

Schlittler's challengers are no pushovers. Toronto's Dylan Cease posted a 2.40 ERA in 29 starts and struck out 239 batters in 169 innings, with the highest strikeout rate of his career at 34.9 percent and a career-low 11 home runs allowed ^[1]. Cease finished second in the AL voting in 2022 ^[1]. Cleveland's Parker Messick, a rookie, put up a 2.56 ERA over 32 starts with 193 strikeouts in 186 1/3 innings ^[1].

The National League: Misiorowski's Historic Season

Misiorowski's numbers read like something out of the dead-ball era. He led the majors with a 1.80 ERA, the best in Brewers history, and topped baseball with 252 strikeouts ^[1]. Opponents hit just .157 against him, the lowest mark allowed by a qualifying starter on record, according to MLB.com ^[1]. A win would make him the fourth Brewer to take the award, joining Rollie Fingers in 1981, Pete Vuckovich in 1982 and Corbin Burnes in 2021, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted ^[3].

Atlanta's Chris Sale, who won the NL Cy Young in 2024, is a finalist again after a 2.16 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 162 2/3 innings ^[1]. Philadelphia's Cristopher Sanchez rounds out the field with a 2.91 ERA and 231 strikeouts over 207 innings, the second-most innings in the majors, along with a franchise-record 50 2/3-inning scoreless streak ^[1]. Sanchez was the NL runner-up in 2025 ^[1].

More Hardware Tonight, MVP Thursday

The Cy Young is not the only prize on Wednesday's show. The reliever awards are also scheduled, with AL finalists Bryan Baker of Tampa Bay, Cade Smith of Cleveland and Louis Varland of Toronto, and NL finalists Jhoan Duran of Philadelphia, Trevor Megill of Milwaukee and Mason Miller of San Diego ^[1]. The Hank Aaron Awards and Comeback Player of the Year are also set for Wednesday ^[5].

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Earlier this week, Detroit's Kevin McGonigle won AL Rookie of the Year after hitting .278 with 18 home runs and 12 steals, and Cincinnati's Sal Stewart took the NL honor with 32 home runs and 112 RBIs ^[1]. Will Venable of the White Sox narrowly edged Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash for AL Manager of the Year ^[5], after leading Chicago to an 84-78 record ^[1]. Milwaukee's Pat Murphy won NL Manager of the Year for the third straight season ^[1].

The Most Valuable Player awards close the week on Thursday. The AL finalists are Yordan Alvarez of Houston, Junior Caminero of Tampa Bay and Bobby Witt Jr. of Kansas City, and the NL finalists are Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers and Brice Turang of the Brewers ^[1].

Connor's Take: Milwaukee Keeps Doing It the Right Way

Look at that list again and notice how often Milwaukee shows up: a Cy Young favorite, a reliever finalist, an MVP finalist and a three-time Manager of the Year. Milwaukee wins by drafting well, developing patiently and asking players to buy into something bigger than themselves. That is a model every small-market town in America can cheer for.

Schlittler's story is worth celebrating, too. A young Yankee who becomes an ace in the Bronx is the kind of steady, earned success that never goes out of style. Whoever wins tonight, both leagues produced pitching seasons fans will be talking about for years. The votes are in; the envelopes open at 9.