Yankees' Cam Schlittler Sweeps AL Cy Young With All 30 First-Place Votes

Q: What biomechanical secret allowed Jacob Misiorowski to allow fewer than 100 hits across 30 starts in his unanimous Cy Young season?

It was not a hidden single “secret” so much as a rare biomechanical package: Misiorowski paired unprecedented arm speed with improved command and elite fastball shape, allowing his 100-plus mph stuff to play even harder. The evidence from his 2026 season points most strongly to the way he delivered his four-seamer. He averaged about 100.6 mph, touched 105.5, and threw more than 1,000 pitches at 100 mph or above, a level no starting pitcher had sustained before. That kind of velocity dramatically cuts hitters’ reaction time, which is the clearest reason he became the first pitcher to make 30 starts while allowing fewer than 100 hits. But velocity alone does not explain it. Coverage around his breakout repeatedly highlighted that the major change from 2025 to 2026 was better command and sharper secondary pitches. In 2025, his command lapses and walks were a concern. In 2026, he was locating the fastball more effectively, especially in the upper part of the zone, while using his off-speed pitches well enough that hitters could not simply sit on velocity. That combination produced historic contact suppression. Opponents hit just .157 against him, he posted a 0.80 WHIP, and analysts noted he allowed the fewest hits per nine innings by a starter since the mound was lowered. In practical biomechanical terms, the “secret” was his ability to repeat a high-effort, explosive delivery more cleanly and consistently, turning elite raw arm talent into sustainable, precise dominance.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 12

30 of 30 first-place votes gave Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler his first AL Cy Young after a dominant second season at age 25.
A 1.95 ERA in 33 starts, 239 strikeouts and 21 outings allowing one run or fewer made him the AL's top pitcher and the Yankees' first Cy Young winner since Gerrit Cole in 2023.
Schlittler beat Toronto's Dylan Cease and Cleveland's Parker Messick, pulling away after Aug. 1 with a 1.74 ERA over 10 starts while the Yankees posted one of the AL's best records.
The unanimous result made Schlittler the Yankees' youngest Cy Young winner and, alongside Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski, only the third pair of unanimous Cy Young selections in both leagues.