A banner year for Logan Webb, which began with the Giants’ homegrown ace inking an extension that will keep him in San Francisco for the next five years and featured career-highs in innings and strikeouts, ended in a runner-up finish for the National League Cy Young.
Webb, 26, placed second behind the Padres’ Blake Snell, who became the seventh pitcher in MLB history to win the honor in both leagues. The Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen, the other finalist, finished third, followed by Braves strikeout artist Spencer Strider, Cubs breakout star Justin Steele, 2021 runner-up Zack Wheeler, Mets rookie Kodai Senga and 2021 winner Corbin Burnes.
While Webb led the majors in innings pitched, one of only five starters with 200 or more, Snell separated himself from the pack with his strong finish. Allowing two runs over his final six starts, Snell lowered his ERA to 2.25, a full point lower than Webb’s, giving him the upper hand despite throwing only 180 innings to Webb’s 216.
The highest finish for a Giants pitcher since Tim Lincecum won the award in 2009, Webb received 17 second-place votes and appeared on 25 of the 30 ballots, including one voter who placed Webb first. Snell took home 28 of the 30 first-place votes to earn the second Cy Young of his career, previously crowned the American League winner in 2018.
“I’m trying to enjoy this more than the first one I won,” Snell said, surrounded by about a dozen friends and family when he was announced as the winner on MLB Network. “It’s really special. It really hits me having my family around me, because that’s when I really notice what I’ve accomplished. Having them here and seeing the looks on their faces really made it special. … In 2018, I was a kid. I thought I was going to win 40 of them. I thought I was invincible. I thought winning the Cy Young was just what I was going to do every year.”
The 30-year-old left-hander from Seattle, who is in line for a big payday as a free agent this winter, overcame the highest walk rate in the majors — the first time a pitcher has led the league in ERA and walks — by stranding 86.7% of the runners who reached base against him, the highest percentage of any pitcher, and limiting those who swung the bat to a .180 batting average, 19 points lower than the next-closest starter. He struck out 234 batters, second only to Strider.
Improving on his 11th-place finish from last season, Webb excelled in much different fashion, using pinpoint command of his sinker-slider-changeup combination to generate the highest ground-ball percentage in the majors while walking fewer batters than all but two qualified starters. One of only three Giants pitchers to even cross 100 innings, Webb’s durability and reliability every fifth day took on even more importance for a team that frequently relied on openers and bullpen games.
Only Gerrit Cole, the unanimous winner in the American League, recorded as many quality starts as Webb (24), and no pitcher in the majors matched Webb’s 12 ultra-quality starts, defined by going at least seven innings while allowing two or fewer runs.
It didn’t take long for the five-year, $90 million contract extension Webb signed in April to look like a good investment.
However, it will take more than Webb to lead the Giants back to the postseason.
Despite his stellar season, Webb finished with a record of 11-13, becoming the first starting pitcher ever to finish first or second in the Cy Young voting with a losing record. The Giants went only 15-18 in his starts, the product of a lineup that provided him the least run support in the majors.
NL Cy Young results
