Royals’ Lugo finishes as runner-up in AL Cy Young race
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A career year for Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo left the right-hander just a bit shy of the AL Cy Young Award.
On Wednesday, Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal was awarded the 2024 AL Cy Young, beating out Lugo and Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.
Lugo, in his first season with the Royals, pitched an MLB-best 33 starts and had the second-most innings and second-most quality starts among all qualifying pitchers. He finished as the runner-up for the award, just as Royals manager Matt Quatraro did for the AL Manager of the Year award a night prior.
READ MORE: Royals’ Quatraro finishes runner-up for AL Manager of the Year following remarkable 2024 turnaround
The former New York Mets and San Diego Padres pitcher finished with 181 strikeouts, ranking 20th in the league. In a season that saw Kansas City improve by 30 wins from their 2023 season, Lugo had 16 wins, which tied for third-best in MLB.
Skubal was first in wins (18) and second in ERA (2.39) among qualified starters and was first in MLB in strikeouts with 228. He received all 30 first-place votes from voters.
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