Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease placed second in the American League Cy Young Award voting on Wednesday, falling to New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler. Cease accumulated 110 points with 22 second-place votes, six third-place votes and two fourth-place votes. Schlittler swept the voting with all 30 first-place votes and 210 total points.
Cease had a standout season despite Toronto's offensive struggles, compiling an 11-6 record with a 2.40 ERA across 29 starts and 169.0 innings. He struck out 239 batters—his sixth consecutive season with 200 or more strikeouts—and led the AL in hits per nine innings, strikeouts per nine innings and home runs per nine innings. The Blue Jays finished 79-83 in last place in the AL East, but Cease's performance kept them in wild card contention until late September.
The right-hander made his first All-Star Game this season and started for the American League in a game managed by Jays skipper John Schneider. Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland won the AL Reliever of the Year Award. Cease ended the season on the injured list with shoulder inflammation but is expected to be healthy for spring training.
