Cy Young Award Winners

Lore & Background

The Cubs' quest for the Cy Young finally culminated in two historic victories, breaking a long-standing drought. These two triumphs stand as testaments to elite pitching excellence within Chicago, proving that while rare, the Cubs' mound dominance has indeed been recognized at the highest level.

In Their Own Story

The wind whipped off Lake Michigan, biting at the exposed skin of an October evening at Wrigley Field. In the bleachers, a lone fan clutched a faded program from 1972, the paper soft with age. He remembered the roar that shook the brick walls when Fergie Jenkins struck out his thousandth batter—a moment where the collective hope of Chicago seemed to crystallize into certainty that *this* was the year he would be crowned king. The scoreboard flashed stats so undeniable they felt majestic, yet deep in the front office, the trophy case remained stubbornly empty of that specific gold-plated honor. He smiled sadly, a bittersweet expression known well by Cubs fans: while the team had legends who could stop time with a curveball or silence a crowd with a slider, the Cy Young Award seemed to slip through their fingers like sand, always just out of reach.

Reader's Guide

This zero-winner record is particularly striking given that Cubs pitching staffs have frequently led the National League in ERA and strikeouts during championship-contending years. The narrative of this drought is defined not by a lack of talent, but by historic near-misses: Fergie Jenkins finished second in voting twice while with Chicago, and more recently, Kyle Hendricks garnered significant attention without securing the trophy. Voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) based on regular-season performance, the award highlights the razor-thin margins of the sport; a single injury, a trade deadline departure, or a rival's once-in-a-generation season can sever the path to glory. For Cubs fans, this history represents a unique blend of frustration and enduring respect for pitchers who performed at an elite level even if the hardware never arrived.

Did You Know?

• Despite boasting multiple Hall of Fame pitchers in their history over a century-plus existence, the Cubs have produced exactly two Cy Young winners.