Blue Jays ace Manoah named Cy Young Award finalist

For the second straight year, the Toronto Blue Jays have a pitcher in the running for the American League's Cy Young Award. 

Alek Manoah was named a finalist for the prestigious pitching award on Monday along with Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros and Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox. 

The 24-year-old posted a 16-7 record with a 2.24 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP alongside 180 strikeouts over 31 starts and 196.2 innings pitched. It was Manoah's second season in the Majors after starting 20 games during the 2021 campaign. 

Verlander, 39, has already won two Cy Young awards - 2011 with the Detroit Tigers and 2019 with the Astros - and put up some of the best numbers of his career in 2022. Verlander posted an 18-4 record alongside an MLB-best 1.75 ERA and a .829 WHIP with 185 strikeouts over 175 innings pitched. 

Cease, 26, went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA , a 1.109 WHIP and 227 strikeouts over 184 innings pitched. 

Former Blue Jays ace Robbie Ray won the Cy Young Award last season.