Yamamoto's Cy Young Surge
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Historic Performance Elevates Him to Top NL Cy Young Contention
Yoshinobu Yamamoto came one swing away from a perfect game on June 13, 2026. The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander retired 22 straight batters before Mookie Betts's error in the 8th inning ended his bid, then lost the no-hitter on a leadoff homer in the 9th. The Dodgers still won 7-1 over the White Sox — and Yamamoto walked away satisfied. "I know how difficult baseball is," he said through a translator. "How I was pitching, I was pretty satisfied." Associated Press
The near-miss cemented Yamamoto as a genuine National League Cy Young contender. But the 2026 race is unlike any in recent memory. Three other pitchers — Shohei Ohtani, Jacob Misiorowski, and Cristopher Sánchez — are all posting historically elite numbers at the same time. MLB.com
Yamamoto's Historic Streak of Retired Batters
Yamamoto's June 13 performance was not an isolated event. Over his last four starts since May 5, he has gone 4-0 with a 0.94 ERA. On June 6, he retired the final 22 batters he faced against the Angels. Combined with his White Sox outing, he tied the second-longest streak of consecutive batters retired in MLB history — 45 — matching Mark Buehrle and trailing only Yusmeiro Petit's all-time record. Dodger Insider
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior credited Yamamoto's ability to work both sides of the plate. "He can attack the plate on both sides from ball to strike probably better than anybody I've ever seen," Prior said. Associated Press Opponents are hitting just .188 against him this season, and his WHIP sits at 0.84. Dodger Insider
Misiorowski and Ohtani Make This Race Historically Crowded
Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski, 24, is making a historic case of his own. On June 12, he struck out 15 batters, allowed just one hit, and threw a complete game shutout against the Phillies. His fastball hit 104.5 mph. Over his last eight starts, his ERA is 0.17 — the lowest such mark in the live-ball era since 1913, according to MLB.com. When asked about throwing 57 pitches over 100 mph in one game, Misiorowski kept it simple. "That's what I do. I throw hard," he told Sports Illustrated.
Shohei Ohtani has also returned to full-time pitching after recovery and leads the entire NL with a 1.06 ERA through 11 starts and 67.2 innings. He strikes out 10.9 batters per nine innings and also carries a 0.84 WHIP. StatMuse Two Dodgers at the top of the Cy Young race at the same time is almost unheard of — and it has already sparked debate about Dodgers media bias. Stadium Rant
Cristopher Sánchez's 50-Inning Scoreless Streak Sets MLB Record
While Yamamoto grabbed headlines, Philadelphia's Cristopher Sánchez quietly made history first. His scoreless innings streak ended at 50⅔ innings on June 3 — the longest ever by a left-handed pitcher and the 5th longest in all of MLB history. The Philadelphia Inquirer He trails only Orel Hershiser, Don Drysdale, Walter Johnson, and Jack Coombs on the all-time list.
Sánchez's ERA sits at 1.54 with a 0.91 WHIP. His streak has set up a thorny situation: the 2026 All-Star Game is in Philadelphia. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts must now decide whether to start his own ace or defer to the hometown record-breaker. Analysts at Just Baseball call the full race "legendary," contrasting Sánchez's precise pitch execution against Misiorowski's pure velocity dominance.
What a Cy Young Win Would Mean for Japanese Baseball History
The stakes go beyond statistics. If Yamamoto or Ohtani wins the NL Cy Young Award, it would be the first time a Japanese-born pitcher has ever won the honor in the National League. LA Times Yamamoto is already the 2025 World Series MVP, and his $325 million contract — once scrutinized because of his smaller frame — looks increasingly justified by his numbers. Stadium Rant
This is also the second time in two months that Yamamoto has lost a no-hitter in the 9th inning. He had the same experience on September 6, 2025 against Baltimore. LA Times The pattern is painful for Dodgers fans — but it also shows how consistently Yamamoto is pitching deep into games with historic stuff. The second half of 2026 will determine whether the award goes to dominance, history, or pure velocity.
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