Justin Verlander Wins 2nd Career AL Cy Young Award in Surprising Vote

We're going to be completely honest and say that we did not see this coming.

After Jacob deGrom was announced as the NL's 2019 Cy Young Award winner, the AL disclosed their surprising victor.

In upset fashion, Justin Verlander has taken home the award for the second time in his career, beating out (perhaps former) Houston Astros ace Gerrit Cole.

Justin Verlander wins his second career @officialBBWAA AL Cy Young Award! ? pic.twitter.com/Jn0CeyIJH2
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 13, 2019

It was largely expected that it would be a two-horse race between the Astros' two star hurlers, but most pundits, skeptics, and fans presumed that Cole would come out on top.

For the season, Verlander tallied a 21-6 record to go with a 2.58 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and a whopping 300 strikeouts in 223 innings. He becomes the fourth Astro to win the award in franchise history.

Cole, on the other hand, finished with a 20-5 mark alongside a 2.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 326 strikeouts across 212.1 innings.

.@JustinVerlander has his 2nd AL Cy Young Award and 1st with the @astros. pic.twitter.com/J7JUUjZkP8
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) November 13, 2019

The Astros are obviously dealing with their fair share of controversy at the moment, but fans can at least briefly rejoice in the fact that Verlander was awarded for his valiant efforts in 2019.