Bauer claims NL Cy Young, becomes 1st Reds pitcher to win award

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Trevor Bauer captured his first National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced.

Bauer, who defeated Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish and New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom, is the first Reds pitcher to win the honor. The Reds have had five hurlers finish second in Cy Young voting since it was established in 1956; Johnny Cueto was their most recent runner-up in 2014.

"For the oldest franchise in baseball not to have a Cy Young winner, it's about time that Cincy had one," Bauer said, according to Jeremy Rauch of FOX 19. "I hope to interact with the fans at some point in the not-too-distant future."

Though many expected a close finish, Bauer won this honor with relative ease by receiving 27 of 30 first-place votes; the other three went to Darvish. Bauer and deGrom - who finished in third after two consecutive Cy Young wins - were the only pitchers named on every ballot.

Bauer led the NL in ERA (1.73), ERA+ (276), WHIP (0.79), complete games (2), and shutouts (2) while collecting 100 strikeouts to only 17 walks. He limited hitters to a .159 average, allowed only nine home runs over 11 starts, and pitched into the seventh inning a league-high eight times. The 29-year-old was also the first Reds hurler to win an ERA title since Ed Heusser in 1944.

Bauer is the eighth pitcher to win the Cy Young Award after entering free agency, and the first since Roger Clemens in 2004, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com. The last hurler to sign elsewhere immediately after winning the award was Greg Maddux, who won the 1992 NL Cy Young with the Cubs before signing with the Atlanta Braves.

The Reds' first Cy Young Award in franchise history leaves only three teams - the Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies, and Texas Rangers - without a winner of their own.