Yoshinobu Yamamoto picked up down-ballot support in the 2026 National League Cy Young Award race, finishing fourth as Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski ran away with the honor in unanimous fashion.
Misiorowski edged out Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez and Atlanta Braves veteran Chris Sale, with Sánchez landing second place after collecting 17 second-place votes and 99 total points. Sale finished just behind him with 98 points.
Yamamoto’s final line in the voting was built on a mix of recognition across the ballot: two second-place votes, seven third-place votes, 14 fourth-place votes and six fifth-place votes for 63 points overall.
The Dodgers right-hander had already been a Cy Young finalist in 2025, when he placed third. This time, he finished fourth after a season that started unevenly but settled into a strong run.
Yamamoto went 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA, 3.33 FIP and 0.87 WHIP in 28 starts. His 14 wins were a career high, and he also threw a complete game for the first time since signing his record-breaking contract with Los Angeles.
Manager Dave Roberts made his appreciation for Yamamoto clear during the season.
“He takes pride, and he’ll never say it outwardly, but he takes pride in being there for his teammates and knowing he’s the best option,” Roberts said this year. “I was actually talking to Gomer (Brandon Gomes) about him, he’s one of the more underappreciated pitchers in all of baseball.
“I think for me, players that you gravitate towards and love to have and can’t have enough of them, are dependable players. Yoshinobu is very dependable. I think he’s probably had one or two clunkers this year, but everything else outside of that has been six innings-plus.
“Very consistent and you know what you’re going to get. When the moments get big, he certainly rises to those occasions. It’s all about his preparedness, his focus, compete, all of that.”
There was also a sense inside the organization that Yamamoto had extra motivation with Shohei Ohtani’s full return as a two-way player drawing much of the spotlight in 2026. Still, Yamamoto stayed focused on the bigger goal, making it clear all season that the team’s World Series chase came first.
Even without a Cy Young trophy, Yamamoto’s year still earned league-wide recognition. He was named to the All-MLB Second Team alongside Tarik Skubal.
Misiorowski’s win added another line to Brewers history. He became the second Milwaukee pitcher to win the NL Cy Young, joining Corbin Burnes in 2021. The only other Brewers Cy Young winners are Rollie Fingers in 1981 and Pete Vuckovich in 1982, both in the American League before the club moved to the NL in 1998.
His unanimous selection was the 17th for an NL pitcher and the second straight season the league has seen one, following Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes last year.
BBWAA Cy Young ballots are submitted before the playoffs begin and are scored with seven points for first place, four for second, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth.
In Other News...
Shohei Ohtani Just Faced A Dodgers Debate Fans Never Expected
Shohei Ohtanis run through the postseason awards landscape hit an unusual snag at the 2026 MLB Awards show in Las Vegas, where the Dodgers star came away empty on a night when he had been a familiar presence in those conversations. Ohtani did not make the All-MLB Team for the 2026 season and also missed out on both the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award and the Hank Aaron Award, ending a streak of wins that had become part of his annual routine.
The honors instead went elsewhere, with Pete Crow-Armstrong taking the National League Hank Aaron Award for the first time and Yordan Alvarez winning both the American League Hank Aaron Award and the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award for the first time. For Dodgers fans, the bigger takeaway is not that Ohtani suddenly stopped being Ohtani, but that a player who has so often set the standard just had a rare awards night without a trophy to show for it. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers May Have Found A Cheap Fix For Their Vesia Problem
The Dodgers are still sorting through the bullpen after left-hander Alex Vesia hit free agency, and one possible answer on the market looks like a familiar kind of low-risk, high-function fit. Los Angeles has reportedly shown interest in Yankees free agent Tim Hill, a lefty with a very different look on the mound and a reputation as a ground-ball specialist.
Hills appeal is pretty straightforward for a club that likes to find value where it can. He brings a unique pitching style and recent performance that could make him a relatively inexpensive addition, which matters for a Dodgers team trying to keep its relief options flexible. No deal is in place yet, but he has emerged as one of the more interesting names tied to the search for a Vesia replacement. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Suddenly Face A Bigger Question About One Core Young Bat
The Dodgers offseason has already started to take shape around one of the more interesting names on the market, with Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena emerging as a possible fit. He has one year left on his contract, and Los Angeles is at least weighing whether a move like that could help settle its infield while the front office sorts through a wide range of trade possibilities before the December 1 deadline.
David Vassegh has said the Dodgers may be willing to explore deals involving players such as Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta and Michael King as the uncertainty around the new collective bargaining agreement lingers. If Pena becomes a real target, it would also create another layer to the Dodgers infield plans, since Mookie Betts could be shifted to second base to make the fit work. [Read more 🡒]