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Cole, Gausman, Gray are 2023 AL Cy Young Award Finalists

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America has announced the finalists for some individual awards for the 2023 Major League Baseball season. For this year’s American League Cy Young awardee, they have chosen Gerrit Cole, Kevin Gausman, and Sonny Gray as finalists.

Cole’s excellence this season was evident from the get-go after striking out 11 batters on Opening Day, the most for a New York Yankees pitcher in a season-opener. He also became the American League Pitcher of the Month in April after going 5-1 and allowing only five runs in 40.2 innings.

The 11-season veteran earned an All-Star nod this year, the sixth of his career. He was the All-Star Game’s starting pitcher for the American League, the first Yankees pitcher to do so since Roger Clemens in 2001. His two shutouts this season are the most by a Yankees pitcher since 2019.

Cole pitched 209 innings in 33 games, posting a 15-4 record. He finished the season with an American League-leading 2.63 ERA, giving up only 157 hits and 61 earned runs throughout the year. Cole led the AL with a 165 ERA+ and an MLB-leading 0.981 WHIP.

Meanwhile, Kevin Gausman led the American League with 237 strikeouts over 185 innings for the Toronto Blue Jays this year. He finished the season with a 12-9 record and a 3.16 ERA. Like Cole, he earned an All-Star nod this year, the second of his career.

The Blue Jays are the fifth MLB team Gausman has played for. He started his Major League journey with the Baltimore Orioles before joining the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He earned the first All-Star selection with the Giants.

Finally, Sonny Gray earned the second Cy Young Award in his 11-year career. He had a 2.79 ERA in 184 innings over 32 games for the Minnesota Twins. While he has an 8-8 record, he led the league in fielding independent pitching at 2.83.

He was also a part of the 2023 American League All-Star Team, the third of his career. Gray started his career with the Oakland Athletics before transferring to the Yankees. He played for the Reds before joining the Twins.

None of the three finalists have previously won the league's highest honor for pitchers. The 2023 Cy Young Award winner for the American League will be announced next week, any day from November 13 to 16.

-Lance Fernandez

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