Astros' Dallas Keuchel and Cubs' Jake Arrieta Win Cy Young Awards

By Laura Wagner / NPR

Published November 18, 2015 at 1:11 PM PST

This story was published more than 9 years ago.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta throws during the first inning of Game 2 of the National League baseball championship series against the New York Mets Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, in New York.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel pitches in the first inning of the American League wild card baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015.

Houston Astros' Dallas Keuchel and Chicago Cubs' Jake Arrieta won the Cy Young Awards for best pitchers in Major League Baseball for 2015.

Keuchel received enough votes to squeak past second-place finisher David Price in the American League. Arrieta handily beat runner-up Zack Greinke in the voting for the National League.

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Keuchel, who has been with the Astros for four seasons, led the American League in innings pitched with 232, and finished with a second-best earned run average of 2.48. He struck out 216 batters — good for fifth in the league.

In the National League, Arrieta finished second in innings pitched with 229, and posted a 1.77 ERA, second to Greinke whose ERA was 1.66. Arrieta had a solid first half of the season, but he caught fire down the stretch, helping the Cubs to their first World Series since 1945. Here's a stat that speaks for itself: in his last 15 starts, Arrieta posted a minuscule 0.75 ERA.

Here's how the voting broke down, from ESPN.

American League

1. Dallas Keuchel, 956 points (92 first-place votes)

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2. David Price, 904 points (80)

3. Sonny Gray, 351 points (2)

4. Chris Sale, 282 points (5)

5. Chris Archer, 227 points

National League

1. Jake Arrieta, 930 points (79 first-place votes)

2. Zack Greinke, 851 points (68)

3. Clayton Kershaw, 655 points (31)

4. Gerrit Cole, 184 points

5. Max Scherzer, 169 points (2)