The Chicago Cubs are now 3-for-3 in major baseball awards on Wednesday as starting pitcher Jake Arrieta won the National League Cy Young Award.
Arrieta, who posted a 22-6 record and a 1.77 ERA this season, beat out a talented crowd of contenders for the trophy, with Los Angeles Dodgers hurlers Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw finishing just behind the Cubs’ ace in the balloting.
Arrieta joins teammate Kris Bryant, who won the National League Rookie of the Year award on Monday, and manager Joe Maddon, who won the NL Manager of the Year award, as trophy winners for the Cubs after a momentous 2015 season.
The 2015 season was a memorable one for Arrieta and the Cubs, as he reeled off a second-half performance for the ages. That run of incredible starts carried into the early stages of the postseason, as Arrieta pitched a complete game shutout and helped the Cubs to a wild card game victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
With his win, Arrieta becomes the first Cubs pitcher to win a Cy Young Award since Greg Maddux won the trophy after the 1992 season with the team.
Arrieta’s numbers extend far beyond just his impressive record and ERA. He also struck out 236 batters in 229 innings pitched in the 2015 season, both of which were career highs. He also set a slew of records for the Cubs, including longest scoreless innings streak in games played at Wrigley Field, and he also threw a no-hitter in August against the Dodgers.
The next big question for Arrieta will concern his contract status, as it’s been rumored that the team is trying to sign him to a long-term extension before he hits free agency at the end of the 2017 season.
