Dylan Cease strengthens chances for AL Cy Young with shutout

When the going gets tough, Dylan Cease continues to provide masterclass performances for the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old right-handed ace recorded his fourth career shutout against the Boston Red Sox, and it has undeniably increased his chances of winning his first AL Cy Young Award. 

His dominant performance on Saturday had him pitch nine scoreless innings while racking up 12 strikeouts with only one hit, three walks and throwing a career-high 120 pitches. Cease has demonstrated his ability to flirt with no-hitters this season with an almost no-hit bid (one hit) against the San Francisco Giants earlier this month that resulted in a 10-0 victory for the Blue Jays with eight dominant scoreless innings and 11 strikeouts

His 167 strikeouts lead the AL this season, which just strengthens his case as the favourite for the AL Cy Young. He has also lowered his ERA from 2.67 to 2.46 across 19 starts, with a 7-5 record across 113.1 innings pitched. 

But Cease has competition with New York Yankees' Cam Schlittler, who is sporting a 10-6 record with a 2.07 ERA and 157 strikeouts. But more importantly, the 25-year-old delivered his own 12-strikeout performance on Friday that finished in a 1-0 shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies, along with only giving up three hits and no earned runs across 7.1 innings pitched.