ST. LOUIS — Adam Wainwright's remarkable 2021 with the Cardinals earned him a top-10 finish in the National League Cy Young voting.
Wainwright finished seventh in the Cy Young race as Milwaukee's Corbin Burnes ended up winning.
Burnes and Phillies starter Zack Wheeler both finished with 12 first place votes, but Burnes had more second place votes to take the crown 151 total points to Wheeler's 141. The 10-point margin of victory is the closest in National League history and tied for the fourth-closest ever since the ballot expanded in 2010.
Wainwright had three fifth place votes from the 30 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America who voted on the award.
Wainwright was his team's best pitcher in 2021, going 17-7 with a 3.05 ERA in 206 and a third innings. He led the league in complete games with three.
Wainwright finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 2010 and 2013, and third in 2009 and 2014.
The 40-year-old veteran has signed a one-year contract to return to the Cardinals in 2022.
Parkway Central alum Max Scherzer finished third in the Cy Young vote for his split season between the Nationals and Dodgers. Dodgers starter Walker Buehler finished fourth, Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff finished fifth, Giants starter Kevin Gausman finished sixth, Dodgers starter Julio Urias finished eighth and Mets starter Jacob deGrom finished ninth.
Burnes is the first Brewers pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in the National League. Rollie Fingers and Pete Vuckovich won the award when the Brewers were still in the American League.
Toronto Blue Jays starter Robbie Ray won the American League Cy Young Award.