Parker Messick earned the victory in Sunday’s 11-1 win over the Royals, allowing one earned run on five hits over six innings pitched.
Messick struck out five and walked two, lowering his ERA to 2.46. He gave up a first-inning run but quickly settled down as Cleveland’s offense exploded in the middle innings. Messick has had a phenomenal rookie season. He easily leads all rookie pitchers in fWAR and has the third-lowest ERA among American League starters. His fWAR is already in the top 10 for rookie arms dating back to 2000, and there’s a meaningful chance he finishes in the top three. Spencer Strider in 2022 and Yu Darvish in 2012 are at the top of that leaderboard.