FLUSHING, N.Y., November 14, 2018 - New York Mets RHP Jacob deGrom tonight was named the 2018 National League Cy Young Award recipient by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).
DeGrom, who received 207 points, including 29 of 30 first place votes, joins Tom Seaver (1969, 1973 and 1975), Dwight Gooden (1985) and R.A. Dickey (2012) as the only pitchers in team history to win the NL Cy Young Award.
The righthander led the majors in ERA (1.70), opponent's slugging (.277), opponent's OPS (.521) and home runs per nine innings (0.41). He finished second in the majors in innings (217.0) and fourth in the majors with a career-high 269 strikeouts. DeGrom ended the year holding opponents to three runs or fewer in 29 straight starts, the longest single-season streak in major league history (min. 50.0 combined innings in those starts) and hurled 24 consecutive quality starts, the longest single-season streak in major league history.
"I want to thank the Baseball Writers for this honor," deGrom said. "I'm extremely humbled to win this award along with some other great former Mets such as Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden and R.A. Dickey. I'd especially like to thank my teammates, coaching staff and my family."
"Jacob had one of the most remarkable seasons in baseball history," Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said. "The entire Mets organization is proud of his accomplishment and this is a moment all Mets fans can celebrate."
DeGrom was named to his second All-Star team this year (also 2015) and according to the Elias Sports Bureau, this was just the 10th time since 1920 that a pitcher had at least 200.0 innings and an ERA of 1.70 or lower in a season. He's the only pitcher in modern MLB history (since 1900) to have a season with a sub-2.00 ERA, at least 260 strikeouts, 50 or fewer walks and 10 or fewer home runs allowed.
"I had the best seat in the house to watch Jacob's brilliance every fifth day," Mets Manager Mickey Callaway said. "His competitive spirt is unlike anything I've ever seen and simply the best season I've ever witnessed from a pitcher."
"Jacob clearly established himself as the best pitcher in baseball for 2018," Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. "His consistency and competitiveness were unmatched. I've always been impressed with his professional and dedicated approach on and off the field in addition to being a tremendous teammate."
DeGrom will be presented with the award during the 96th Annual New York Baseball Writers' Dinner on January 26, 2019 at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel.