The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955. The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, but in 1967, after the retirement of Frick, the award was given to one pitcher in each league.
The 1971 Cy Young Award won by Ferguson Jenkins, on display in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Cy Young, for whom the award is named
Gerrit Cole, 2023 AL winner
Blake Snell, 2023 NL winner
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game, and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum. There are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher, relief pitcher, middle reliever, lefty specialist, setup man, and the closer.
A. J. Minter, a relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves pitching in the 9th inning of a game versus the Washington Nationals.
A Navy pitcher releases the baseball from the pitcher's mound.
Delivery of the baseball from the pitcher to catcher
Major League Baseball player Noah Syndergaard pitching for the New York Mets in 2015