Dylan Cease becomes the latest White Sox pitcher to get a shot for a Cy Young Award

CHICAGO – It was a few years ago that Jose Abreu helped to end a long drought for the White Sox when it comes to a major award.

In 2020, the first baseman became the first player for the club in 26 years to win the American League’s Most Valuable Player award, becoming the first since Frank Thomas in 1994.

Now Dylan Cease becomes the latest pitcher for the White Sox to try and end a drought for an MLB award: Cy Young.

The starter was named one of three finalists for the honor on Monday evening along with Astros pitcher Justin Verlander and Toronto’s Alek Manoah. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America will announce the winners of the Cy Young Award for both leagues on November 16th.

If Cease can win the award, he’d become the first to do so for the White Sox since Jack McDowell in 1993, when he helped the club to an AL West division championship. Early Wynn (1959) and LaMarr Hoyt (1983) are the other winners of the award in franchise history.

This marks the second-straight season that the White Sox have had a finalist for the award, with Lance Lynn being named a finalist in 2021. He would finish third in the voting for the award behind second place Gerrit Cole of the Yankees and winner Robbie Ray of the Blue Jays.

In his fourth major league season with the White Sox, Cease was arguably the most consistent player on the club as he went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and 227 strikeouts in career-high 184 innings.

On September 3rd, he came one out from his first career no-hitter, one of the 12 starts in which he didn’t allow an earned run. He also registered four games with double-digit strikeouts.