For most of the season, Dodgers' lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu was a runaway favorite for the Cy Young Award.
The National League's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game, Ryu made 17 starts in the first half, pitching to a ridiculous 1.73 ERA. But his numbers trailed off a bit in the second half, as he entered his final start of the season with a 3.51 second half ERA.
He was dominant in his final start of the year on Saturday, tossing seven scoreless innings against the Giants, but when asked after the game about who he thinks should win the Cy Young, Ryu gave an answer that Mets fans will appreciate.
"It's a very tough question, obviously. There were so many good pitchers this season," Ryu told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register through his interpreter. "I honestly think Jacob deGrom deserves it.
"Obviously I did lead the league in ERA. But if you look at all the other metrics, he had an incredible season, especially the innings and strikeouts. I think those two are really important factors."
Ryu edged out deGrom in ERA, 2.32 to 2.43, but deGrom blew Ryu away in strikeouts, 255 to 163. DeGrom also pitched 204.0 innings this season, while Ryu went 182.2.
The full comparison between deGrom, Ryu, and the other Cy Young candidates can be found in our Cy Young Watch.