Clayton Kershaw finished second to Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer in National League Cy Young Award voting for a second time in as many years. It marked a seventh consecutive top-five finish for Kershaw, who has three Cy Youngs to his name.
This year he was joined by Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Kenley Jansen and Alex Wood as pitchers who received votes for the NL Cy Young. Jansen received two third-place votes, five fourth-place votes and six for fifth place.
That was good for 22 total points and a fifth-place finish in voting. Scherzer received 27 of 30 first-place votes and 201 points.
Kershaw tallied 126 points, followed by fellow finalist Stephen Strasburg (81 points) and Arizona Diamondbacks righty Zack Greinke (52). Jansen placed ahead of Gio Gonzalez (18), Robbie Ray (six), Jacob deGrom (two), Jimmy Nelson (one) and Wood (one).
Jansen is the first Dodgers relief pitcher to receive at least one Cy Young vote since Takashi Saito finished in eighth place in 2006. Eric Gagne is the last Dodgers reliever to win the Cy Young Award (2003). Mike Marshall (1974) is the only other relief pitcher in franchise history to earn it.
Jansen finished the season 5-0 with 41 saves, a 1.32 ERA, 1.31 FIP, 0.75 WHIP, 109 strikeouts and seven walks in 68.1 innings pitched over 65 games. He earned a second consecutive selection to the All-Star Game and once again won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the top reliever in the NL.
Behind a 10-0 record and 1.67 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 15 games (13 starts), Wood was among the six Dodgers named to the NL All-Star roster. He became the first organization’s pitcher to begin a season 10-0 since reliever Ed Roebuck in 1962. Don Newcombe in 1955 was the Dodgers’ last starter to accomplish the feat.
Wood was eventually slowed by two bouts with inflammation in his left SC joint. The 26-year-old went 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA, 3.32 FIP and 1.06 WHIP.
