For the second consecutive month, Tampa Bay Rays All-Star Blake Snell has been voted American League Pitcher of the Month, and German Márquez of the Colorado Rockies has been voted National League Pitcher of the Month for September. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Snell compiled a perfect 5-0 record with a 1.26 ERA and 53 strikeouts over six starts to earn his second career AL Pitcher of the Month Award. Blake permitted 21 hits, two home runs and 11 free passes across 35.2 innings of work. Among qualified AL starting pitchers, the left-handed hurler finished first in wins, tied for first in strikeouts and third in ERA. This is Tampa Bay's second AL Pitcher of the Month Award this season, following his previous honor in August. The last Rays pitcher other than Snell to win AL Pitcher of the Month was Chris Archer in July 2013.
In the final start of his award-winning month on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, the AL Cy Young candidate logged his seventh double-digit strikeout performance of the season and second in a row. The outing was also the 11th consecutive decision that he did not register a loss dating back to the first half of the season on July 12th. The Washington state native became just the second hurler in Major League history to go 9-0 or better with an ERA lower than 1.20 and at least 85 strikeouts in the second half of a season, joining Kris Medlen (2012). In addition, the 25-year-old finished his outstanding campaign with a Club-record 21 wins, surpassing David Price during his AL Cy Young-winning 2012 season, and paced the AL with a 1.89 ERA. Snell is the first AL pitcher to record at least 21 wins and a sub-2.00 ERA in a season since Roger Clemens (21, 1.93) in 1990, while his ERA is the third-lowest in the AL since the designated hitter was adopted in 1973, trailing only Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez (1.74, 2000) and Ron Guidry (1.74, 1978). Overall, Snell's 27 starts this season in which he allowed two runs or fewer are the most by an AL pitcher since Wilbur Wood (27) in 1972.
All-Star Justin Verlander (3-0, 1.09 ERA, 33.0 IP, 50 SO) of the Houston Astros also posted a strong month on the mound. The 2011 AL MVP finished his dominant month by registering at least 10 strikeouts in four consecutive starts dating back to September 10th. With a personal-best 290 strikeouts on the season, the veteran right-hander became the third pitcher in MLB history to tally at least 290 punchouts while posting an ERA of 2.60-or-lower (2.52) at age 35-or-older, joining Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (1999, 2001-02, 04) and Hugh Daily (1884). Others receiving votes for AL Pitcher of the Month included Verlander's rotation-mate Gerrit Cole (3-0, 3.03 ERA, 29.2 IP, 42 SO) and Reynaldo López (2-1, 1.09 ERA, 33.0 IP, 35 SO) of the Chicago White Sox. 
In recognition of their Pitcher of the Month Awards, Blake Snell and German Márquez will each receive a specially designed trophy, suitably engraved, for their accomplishments.