Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish was named as one of the five starting pitchers on the All-MLB first team on Wednesday after missing out on the National League Cy Young Award last month.
Darvish was dominant in the 60-game season, his eight wins tied for first in baseball with the Cleveland Indians' Shane Bieber and his 2.01 ERA ranked fourth. The 34-year-old Japanese finished second to the Cincinnati Reds' Trevor Bauer in balloting for the NL Cy Young.
This is the second year for All-MLB first and second teams, instituted by the league to recognize the top individual performances by players each season. No Japanese players were selected in 2019.
Each team includes 16 players — catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, designated hitter, three outfielders, five starting pitchers and two relievers.
A panel of baseball media members makes up 50% of the voting, with fans accounting for the other half.
Minnesota Twins starter Kenta Maeda, who finished with a 6-1 record and a 2.70 ERA that ranks fifth in the American League, was among the second-team All-MLB selections.
Maeda also finished runner-up for the Cy Young Award in the AL.
Also on the first team were NL MVP Freddie Freeman, the first baseman for the Atlanta Braves, as well as outfielders Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.