The American League Cy Young Award is locked in a two-man brawl, but honestly, it feels like the New York Yankees’ ace Cam Schlittler is already lacing up his victory cleats. We’re talking about Schlittler and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease, this year’s AL All-Star Game starter, as the top two, no doubt. But a Bleacher Report take just laid out the cold, hard truth for folks north of the border: Blue Jays fans need to get real about who’s taking home the hardware.
Schlittler Is Simply Unstoppable
Zachary D. Rymer from Bleacher Report didn’t pull any punches, writing, “At last, an easy one. Schlittler is probably going to win the AL Cy Young Award, and Toronto Blue Jays fans will just have to make peace with that.” Ouch, right? That’s a gut punch, but the numbers don’t lie, and they absolutely back it up. Schlittler is just tearing it up, leading the AL with an insane 6.7 rWAR and a sparkling 2.01 ERA. Look, Cease has had a spectacular season himself for the Blue Jays, no argument there, and their “peripherals” are apparently pretty close, which is a huge tip of the cap to both guys. They’re both elite, no question. But marginal differences don’t win you Cy Youngs when one guy is just plain doing *more* of the heavy lifting.
The Innings Edge That Changes Everything
Here’s the real kicker, and what puts Schlittler over the top in this race: he’s pitched 17.1 *more* innings than his AL East counterpart, Cease. That’s not just a little bit more, people, that’s a significant chunk of work that demonstrates he’s been consistently dominating deeper into games, start after start after start. In fact, Schlittler’s allowed one run or fewer in eight of his last nine starts, which is just ridiculous consistency for any pitcher, let alone an ace. He’s not just good, he’s historically good for the Yankees this season, setting a single-season franchise record with 20 starts allowing one run or less. Think about that for a second. Twenty starts where he basically shuts down the opposing lineup. Pitching deep into games isn’t just about padding stats, it’s about being the absolute rock your team relies on every single fifth day, grinding out those crucial innings. This kind of durability and consistent excellence is exactly why Rymer pointed to his workload as the undeniable edge. Sure, there’s always chatter about a big workload potentially impacting the postseason, but he’s handled being the Yankees’ ace “incredibly well” so far. The guy is a machine, a certified ace, and he’s undoubtedly going to be the Game 1 starter for the Yankees in the postseason. That’s a massive advantage against whoever they may face in a Wild Card Series or ALDS, big time. So, while Cease has been brilliant for Toronto, it looks like Blue Jays fans are gonna have to begrudgingly accept Schlittler’s inevitable coronation. The numbers, especially those innings, just seal it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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