Fireballers Building Cases as Cy Young Award Finalists Enter Season’s Final Stretch

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski earlier this season threw a 105.5 mph fastball in a game against the Chicago Cubs.

Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wis., on Aug. 9, 2026. John Fisher/Getty Images

There’s still time this season for MLB pitchers to make their case for the Cy Young Award.

As the 2026 season reaches its final six weeks, both the American and National leagues have standouts, but second-year Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski seems to be the clear leader in the National League.

With the National League’s best record leading into Friday’s games, the Brewers at 75–47 are leading the Central division. They are second to the Philadelphia Phillies in team pitching, putting up 1,176 strikeouts, 204 of which were contributed by Misiorowski in 22 game appearances. His 11–5 record in 133 innings is combined with an incredible .074 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched). Any WHIP under 1.00 is considered elite.

Routinely greeting batters with 100 mph fastballs, Misiorowski snuck in a 105.5 mph heater when facing Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong in June. That was the third fastest pitch since the tracking era began in 2008. The consistent 100 mph tosses by Misiorowski during a recent broadcast caught the attention of former pitcher Ryan Dempster, now an analyst on MLB Network.

Dempster’s thoughts on the Brewers’ starter were shared with The Associated Press.

“You can tell yourself to swing, but your brain doesn’t quite compute until it’s out of his hand,” Dempster said. “By the time it’s out of his hand, it’s already on you. I haven’t seen a fastball like this since Kerry Wood.”

Cristopher Sanchez, the hard-throwing Philadelphia Phillies lefty who started for the National League at last month’s All-Star Game, is nipping at Misiorowski’s cleats in the Cy Young chase. His 15 victories (15–4) are tops in the National League. With a 2.54 ERA, 181 strikeouts (second to Misiorowski), and a stingy .250 batting average among opposing teams this season, Sanchez is on course for first-place votes from Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) at the end of the season. In 2025, Sanchez finished second in the National League balloting to winner Paul Skenes of Pittsburgh, garnering 30 second-place votes for 120 points.

Chris Sale won the National League Cy Young Award in 2024 with the Atlanta Braves. This season, at 12–7 with 151 strikeouts in 123 innings pitched and a 2.20 ERA, Sale can’t be ignored for the league’s top pitching honor. His next start is scheduled for Friday at Truist Park in Atlanta against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

His 1.02 WHIP this season keeps Sale in the Cy Young conversation. The Braves are enjoying a huge lead in the National League East standings—9 games ahead of the Phillies—due in large part to the success of Sale.

Voting for the two Cy Young Award winners is completed before the start of the postseason. Performances in the postseason do not impact the BBWAA voting. With the last possible day of the playoffs set for Oct. 31 (Game 7 of the World Series, if necessary), traditionally the winners are announced in early November.

There is a three-way race in the American League for the Cy Young Award. Cam Schlittler, 25, at 10–6 in 25 appearances this season, is the backbone of the New York Yankees pitching staff.

With starters Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt out injured for long periods, Schlittler, now in his second season in the Bronx, has stepped up and become a leader. His 0.93 WHIP and 2.21 ERA show that American League batters have trouble catching up with his fastball.

Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on July 24, 2026. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Earlier this season, speaking with YES Network reporters about Schlittler’s sheer dominance, Yankees teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. explained the difficulty he witnessed from his positions in the infield as well as the outfield.

“From back here, it just looks crazy nasty,” Chisholm said in June. “When you have that arsenal, that much poise and never give in, that’s why you have Cam Schlittler right now.”

As disappointing as the Toronto Blue Jays season has been (fourth place in the American League East, 16.5 games behind division leader Tampa Bay), individually, Dylan Cease is easily earning the seven-year, $210 million contract he signed in December.

With his club currently 59–64, Cease is 7–5, has a respectable 2.40 ERA in 22 games, and has rung up 191 strikeouts thus far. His 1.07 WHIP is close to the 0.93 Schlittler has earned going into this weekend’s games.

Cleveland’s Gavin Williams might be the least known top thrower in the American League. The Guardians are in fourth place in the American League Central, but just four games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox.

As Williams goes, so will Cleveland. At 11-6, 185 strikeouts, 1.04 WHIP, and opposing teams hitting just .207 against him, Williams can’t be written off at this point in the season.

When the Cy Young Award was first given out in 1956, only one pitcher among all MLB franchises was selected. In 1967 MLB expanded the top pitcher award to both leagues.

Only once has there been a tie in Cy Young Award voting in either league. In 1969, American League pitchers Denny McLain of Detroit and Mike Cuellar of Baltimore each received 10 first-place votes.