Chicago Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta, who had a historic second half on the way to leading the majors with 22 victories, was named Wednesday the winner of the National League Cy Young Award in a close race. Arrieta is the third member of the Cubs to earn a major award this week, after rookie of the year Kris Bryant and Manager of the Year Joe Maddon.The vote: Arrieta received 17 first-place votes and totaled 169 points to narrowly edge out the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Zack Greinke (147 points). Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a three-time winner, finished third with 101 points.
Why Arrieta won: Arrieta pitched well from the beginning of the season on the way to a 22-6 record with a 1.77 ERA, but his true genius did not manifest itself until the second half, when he put together a run for the ages. After the All-Star Game – to which he wasn’t invited – Arrieta registered an ERA of 0.75, the lowest ever for a full-time starter in the second half.In his last 12 starts beginning with his Aug. 4 outing, Arrieta went 11-0 with an 0.41 ERA, allowing a mere four earned runs in 88 1/3 innings and holding opposing hitters to a minuscule .354 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. That stretch included an Aug. 30 no-hitter against the Dodgers.Arrieta was a highly regarded prospect with the Baltimore Orioles who never panned out, until his career took a drastic turn for the better when he was traded to the Cubs in July 2013. He started living up to his promise the following season, when he went 10-5 with a 2.53 ERA, and broke through as one of the majors’ top pitchers this year, relying on a slider-cutter combination that consistently baffled hitters.Greinke had a slight advantage over Arrieta in most meaningful statistical categories but came up just short of his second Cy Young. By logging a 1.66 ERA, Greinke finished first in that department in the big leagues for the second time in his career. Greinke also led the majors with an .864 winning percentage by going 19-3, compared to Arrieta’s winning mark of .786.When it came to the more advanced metrics, Greinke usually prevailed as well over Arrieta: 0.844-0.865 in WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), 9.3-8.6 in WAR (wins above replacement), and 0.94-0.88 in percentage of quality starts.It’s a measure of how close this contest was that both tied for the lowest OPS allowed in the league at .507, and they finished 1-2 (with Arrieta ahead) in batting average allowed, .185-.187. Arrieta also held an edge in innings pitched (229-222) and strikeouts (236-200). Greinke allowed fewer walks, 40-48.Kershaw may get lost in the discussion, but his 222 2/3 innings pitched and 301 strikeouts led the majors. He also had a tidy 2.13 ERA and 0.88 WHIP to go with his 16-7 record. In most years, Kershaw would have been looking for room in the mantle for his fourth Cy Young, especially after going 11-1 with a 1.22 ERA in his final 17 starts.History says: Greinke’s 1.66 ERA was the lowest in the majors since Hall of Famer Greg Maddux put up a 1.63 mark in 1995. Arrieta’s 1.77 ERA was the lowest for a Cubs starter since 1919.The reaction: In such a tight race, there are no right or wrong choices. A strong case can be made for Greinke, Arrieta and even Kershaw. This was as close to a tossup as any award competition could get. All three pitchers finished with a WAR above 7.5, the first time that has happened in the NL since 1977.Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports
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