Scherzer beats out Lester, Hendricks for NL Cy Young Award

It took only a moment after winning the National League Cy Young Award Wednesday for Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer to realize who the bigger winners were in Cy Young race.

“It’s such an accomplishment,” Scherzer said during the MLB Network announcement show. “I’d trade it for what Lester and Hendricks have, that World Series ring.”

In beating out Cubs finalists Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks, Scherzer received 25 of 30 first-place votes to win in a landslide. Lester (one) and Hendricks (two) received three first-place votes combined in finishing second and third, respectively. Fifth-place Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers received the two other first-place votes.

Scherzer rode a combination of high performance and the heaviest workload in the National League this year to win his second career Cy Young and to become the sixth pitcher to win the award in both leagues – first since Roy Halladay (Blue Jays in 2003, Phillies in 2010).

Scherzer also won in 2013 with the Tigers.

Scherzer (20-7) trailed the other finalists with a 2.96 ERA but was a powerful workhorse who led the league starts (34) and innings pitched (228 1/3), and led the majors in strikeouts (284) – including 20 on May 11 that tied the major league record for a nine-inning game.

“All I know is in 2017 I want to find a way to be a better pitcher,” he said. “I’ve been dreaming up different ways to do it. When I get to spring training that will be my thing, to find a new way. But right now it’s all about celebrating what happened in 2016.”

Jon Lester

Lester had the best winning percentage in the league with a 19-5 record and had the second-best ERA (2.44) in the majors over 202 2/3 innings — then made all three Game 1 postseason starts as the Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years.

Hendricks opened spring training battling for the fifth starter job, then broke out to lead the majors with a 2.13 ERA during a 16-8 performance in his second full big-league season.

Kyle Hendricks

Hendricks outpitched Kershaw in the National League Championship Series clincher that sent the Cubs to their first World Series in 71 years. And he started the Game 7 World Series clincher.

Scherzer finished with 192 points in voting, 90 more than Lester and 107 more than Hendricks. The Giants’ Madison Bumgarner (46) finished fourth, followed by Kershaw (30) and San Francisco’s Johnny Cueto (19).

Marlins’ ace Jose Fernandez, who was killed in boating accident Sept. 25, received a second- and a third-place vote, finishing seventh with 18 points.