Who won the 2011 National League Cy Young Award?

Clayton Kershaw won the 2011 National League Cy Young Award.

The Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander produced a remarkable season, going 21–5 with a 2.28 earned-run average and 248 strikeouts. He led the National League in wins, ERA, and strikeouts—a pitching Triple Crown—and became the youngest NL Cy Young winner since Dwight Gooden in 1985.

Kershaw received the award through voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. A common mix-up is Justin Verlander, who won the 2011 American League Cy Young Award for the Detroit Tigers. Since 1967, MLB has awarded separate Cy Young honors to the best pitcher in each league.

Kershaw later won the National League award again in 2013 and 2014, and he became one of the defining pitchers of his generation. His 2011 honor was his first Cy Young Award and established him as an elite MLB ace.