Max Scherzer wins 2nd career Cy Young Award

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer won the 2016 National League Cy Young Award, announced on Thursday by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

The right-hander received 25 of 30 first-place votes to win the award, outpacing a pair of Chicago Cubs. Jon Lester finished in second place, with Kyle Hendricks, the major league ERA leader, finishing in third place.

Scherzer, who also won the American League Cy Young Award in 2013 with the Detroit Tigers, is the sixth pitcher to win Cy Young Awards in each league, joining Gaylord Perry, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and Roy Halladay.

Scherzer was 20-7 with a 2.96 ERA in 34 starts for Washington in 2016, in the second season of a seven-year, $210 million contract. He led the majors with 284 strikeouts and led the National League with 228 innings pitched and 20 wins.

This is the fourth straight year Scherzer has finished in the top five of Cy Young voting, two years with the Tigers and two with the Nationals.