Marlins rival pitcher wins the Cy Young award

I previously wrote about a Miami Marlins division rival pitcher winning the NL Cy Young award. While that same rival team is making some mistakes, their pre-season trade was certainly not one of them. I'm talking about the Atlanta Braves and their acquisition of ace Chris Sale, who has now won the NL Cy Young award, over fellow division rival Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Miami Marlins division rival pitcher wins the NL Cy Young award.

Can you imagine how the Boston Red Sox might feel? They were in playoff contention for a big part of the season. Their biggest issue was lack of an ace. They actually had one before the season started and unknowingly traded him away. This will likely go down as one of the worst trades in Boston history. A trade that cost them the playoffs.

Back to Atlanta though, Sale had a truly remarkable season. He pitched to a 2.38 ERA/2.09 FIP, with 11.4 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 29 games and 177.2 innings pitched. He was truly outstanding as you can see. He was worth 6.2 WAR for this performance. His competition just didn't come close.

Zack Wheeler pitched to a 2.57 ERA/3.13 FIP, with 10.1 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 32 games and 200.0 innings pitched. He was worth 6.1 WAR for that performance. Sale was just a bit better, though to Wheeler's credit, he was the workhorse of the two.

Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates was in contention too. He pitched to a 1.96 ERA/2.45 FIP, with 11.5 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9, in 23 games and 133.0 innings pitched. He was worth 5.9 WAR. Another good starting pitcher, Skenes deservedly won the National League Cy Young award. That will end up being all that he will win this season, as Sale ends up with the Cy Young. As long as everything goes well for Skenes going forward, he probably will win a Cy Young award at some point in his career.

The Miami Marlins saw a division rival pitcher win the Cy Young, but I do see one of The Fish's players getting it in the near future.