Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw Easily Wins NL Cy Young

The Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw was a runaway winner for the National League Cy Young Award Thursday afternoon, receiving 27 of 32 first place votes by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay, last year’s winner, was second in the voting with four first-place votes, followed by teammate Cliff Lee with Arizona’s Ian Kennedy finishing fourth.

Kershaw captured the NL’s pitching triple-crown as he led the league with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts, and tied Arizona’s Ian Kennedy for most wins going 21-5.

The 23-year-old left-hander’s previous high for wins was 13, which came in 2010.

He was the 10^th Dodger Cy Young award winner, following Don Newcombe (1956), Don Drysdale (1962), Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965 and 1966), Mike Marshall (1974), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Orel Hershiser (1988) and Eric Gagne (2003).

Los Angeles now has a chance to sweep the two major National League awards as outfielder Matt Kemp is the favorite to win the league’s MVP award which will be announced Tuesday.

To read more on Kershaw’s impressive season click here.