The race for the American League Cy Young award is very much on.
Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander is vying for yet another Cy Young at 39 years old.
His main competitor at this point appears to be Chicago White Sox hurler Dylan Cease, although other pitchers are in the race.
Verlander and Cease have wowed everyone with their run-prevention skills.
The veteran has an incredible 1.85 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 136 innings so far, with 134 strikeouts.
It’s actually one of his finest seasons, and that’s saying a lot considering he won every possible award in his career.
On the other hand, Cease fully broke out in 2022 with a 1.96 ERA in 128.2 frames.
The most impressive part of his statistical profile is that he has struck out an incredible 174 batters.
When these pitchers are on, they are virtually unhittable, and it shows in their numbers.
Run Prevention Prowess
Here is a glimpse at their runs allowed per start in 2022, with the help of the always dependable Codify Baseball.
Justin Verlander’s earned runs per start in 2022: 1, 0, 3, 1, 2, 0, 0, 0, 6, 3, 1, 0, 4, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 3. Dylan Cease’s earned runs per start in 2022: 1, 1, 4, 2, 0, 1, 6, 0, 7, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1,” they tweeted.
Justin Verlander’s earned runs per start in 2022:
1, 0, 3, 1, 2, 0, 0, 0, 6, 3, 1, 0, 4, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 3Dylan Cease’s earned runs per start in 2022:
1, 1, 4, 2, 0, 1, 6, 0, 7, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1 pic.twitter.com/G1rj80wOGx— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 16, 2022
Verlander has allowed more than three runs just twice this year, and Cease has three such games.
They are both incredibly good at their craft.
The sole fact that Verlander is in the middle of a Cy Young race at his age is both exciting and inspiring.
It shows that age is just a number: preparation and discipline matter, too, and Verlander excels at both.
If he wins, it will be his third career Cy Young award and second with the Astros.
It would be an incredible feat, since he won the award in his last full, healthy season (2019).
