Justin Steele (28, Chicago Cubs), who is in full bloom in his third year in the majors, showed that the race for the National League Cy Young Award is far from over.

The Cubs hosted the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

메이저사이트On the mound for the Cubs, Steele threw 107 pitches (73 for strikes) over eight innings, allowing two hits and no runs.

Steele also struck out 12 batters while walking two. It was a new career high for strikeouts in a game and the third time in his career he has struck out 10 or more batters.

The Cubs won 5-0 behind Steele’s complete game and Seiya Suzuki’s 15th home run of the season. Steele’s 16th win of the season.

The win gave Steele a 16-3 record and a 2.55 ERA in 26 games this season, throwing 152 innings. He has 153 strikeouts.

Justin Steele. Photo by Getty Images

That closes the gap on Blake Snell (31) for the National League lead in ERA to 0.05. Depending on the outcome of the next game, an upset is entirely possible.

With his performance, Steele showed that the race for the National League Cy Young Award is far from over. It’s safe to say that the gap between Steele and Snell is now almost nonexistent.

Spencer Strider and Zack Greinke, who are currently ranked third and fourth, could also challenge for the award depending on how they perform the rest of the season.