Rays' Snell continues breakout season with league-leading 20th win
Blake Snell notched his league-leading 20th win during a 4-0 victory against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, becoming the first pitcher in the majors to reach the milestone. The Tampa Bay Rays ace threw five shutout innings while also notching his 200th strikeout of the season.
Snell, 25, is the youngest American League pitcher to reach 20 wins in a single season since Johan Santana in 2004.
“Victory!” - @snellzilla4 20 times pic.twitter.com/lArJqsOvD5
— MLB (@MLB) September 19, 2018
In a season during which the Rays have experimented with their rotation - relying on an "opener" with regularity - Snell has been their steady ace. In 29 starts, he's authored a masterful 1.97 ERA over 169 innings pitched. The Cy Young contender has played an integral role in the team's transition from an era defined by Evan Longoria, helping to lead the team to an 84-66 record and six games back of the second AL wild-card spot.
Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber currently sits behind Snell with 19 wins, while Max Scherzer, Luis Severino, and Rick Porcello are tied for third with 17 victories.
No pitcher reached the 20-win plateau in 2017, while three pitchers accomplished the feat in 2016, including Cy Young winners Porcello (22) and Scherzer (20).
Snell also became the 12th pitcher to collect 200 strikeouts this season.