The 25-year-old became just the seventh Yankees pitcher to win the award for best pitcher and the second in the past three years (Gerrit Cole - 2023). Only one of those seven pitchers went on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame (Whitey Ford).
Schlittler became the third pitcher in Yankees history to win the award by unanimous vote, joining Cole and Ron Guidry (1978).
He also joined Dwight Gooden (1985) and Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates) as the only pitchers in Major League Baseball history to win the Cy Young Award in their second year.
The Yankees' ace broke the franchise record for most starts (25) allowing one or zero runs in a single season, tying the legendary Sandy Koufax for the MLB record. His 2.23 ERA through his first 24 career starts is also a Yankees record
Schlittler's 1.95 ERA not only led the American League, but is the third-best by a Yankees starting pitcher in franchise history. He tied fellow Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease (Toronto Blue Jays) for the third-most strikeouts (239) in the entire league, also the fourth-most by a Yankees pitcher in one season. Schlitter also sat behind Cease in opponent batting average (.185), while placing second in the AL in WHIP (0.92) behind Drew Rasmussen (Tampa Bay Rays).
The young star made just two Postseason starts for the Yankees before the Rays knocked them out in the Division Round. He gave up just two earned runs in 10.2 innings, recording two walks and 12 strikeouts.
Schlittler originally made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2025, finishing the season with a 2.96 ERA through 14 starts with a 4-3 record.