What happened: Schlittler's season is now being weighed against the AL MVP standard, not just the Cy Young bar. His ERA sat at 2.01 after Sept. 9, and he had already set a

Why it matters: That matters because MVP votes rarely drift to pitchers unless the season rises above the usual Cy Young case. His first Cy Young push has widened into a value debate, raising the question of whether his run prevention belongs in the league's top award race.

What to watch: The next question is whether he keeps stacking deep, low-run outings over the final stretch. Another dominant start would give the MVP case fresh traction.