Dallas Keuchel had a breakout season in 2014, winning 12 games for the Houston Astros.
His 2015 season put him among the top pitchers in major league baseball and he was rewarded with the American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night.
Keuchel, 27, is the second Arkansas Razorback to win the award, joining Benton's Cliff Lee, who won the AL Cy Young in 2008 with the Cleveland Indians. He beat out Toronto's David Price and Oakland's Sonny Gray.
Chicago Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta won the National League Cy Young over Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw.
It's the third time an Astros pitcher has won the Cy Young Award, but the first time it's happened in the AL. Roger Clemens won it in 2004 and Mike Scott did it in 1986, with both hurlers doing it in the NL.
"It's something I definitely never expected," Keuchel told MLB.com. "Just playing the game is good enough for me, and just to be in the same category as Sonny and David was special in its own right. But there's a number of pitchers I look up to, and it's something that hasn't sunk in. I don't think it will for some time."
Keuchel led the AL in victories, going 20-8 and helping Houston reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The bearded ace with a dominant sinker and sharp slider had a 2.48 ERA and 216 strikeouts. He started for the Astros on Opening Day and also started the All-Star game in Cincinnati for the AL.
The left-hander finished 15-0 and had a 1.46 ERA at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
"This takes a big body of work, not just this season," said Keuchel, who earned his second Gold Glove Award and the Warren Spahn Award, given annually to baseball's best left-handed pitcher, earlier this month. "But I've had to scratch and claw to make a lot of adjustments and be comfortable in my own body. There's numerous guys I've taken bits and pieces from and tried to learn from, so by no means is that all me."
He received 22 first-place votes for 186 points from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Price drew eight first-place votes and 143 points for his split season with Detroit and Toronto and Gray finished third.
Price went 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA and 225 strikeouts. Traded from Detroit to Toronto in late July, he was a key reason the Blue Jays made their first playoff appearance since 1993.
Keuchel became the first Houston pitcher to win the Cy Young since Roger Clemens in 2004, and the first do it since the Astros joined the AL. He was called up by the Astros in 2012, when he went 3-8 with a 5.27 ERA. In 2013, Keuchel went 6-10 with a 5.15 ERA before compiling a 12-9 record and a 2.93 ERA in 2014.
The Astros drafted Keuchel, a Tulsa native, in the seventh round of the 2009 first-year player draft. He went 9-3 with a 3.92 ERA as the Friday night starter in 2009 as he helped lead the Razorbacks to the College World Series in Omaha.
Arkansas will honor Keuchel on Saturday during the Razorbacks' football game against Mississippi State at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Arrieta, 29, got 17 first-place votes for 169 points, becoming the first Cubs pitcher to win the Cy Young since Greg Maddux in 1992. Greinke drew 10 first-place votes and had 147 points. Kershaw had the other three firsts and 101 points.
Arrieta led the majors in wins, going 22-6, and had a 1.77 ERA, struck out 236 and pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers. He went 11-0 in his last 12 starts, pushing the Cubs into the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
"I'm a little relieved, honestly, to finally know how it played out," Arrieta told MLB.com "I have to say thanks to all the guys I've continued to compete against year in and year out to try to take my game to the next level.
"All the hard work's been worth it."
The Cubs won a major postseason award for the third consecutive day. Kris Bryant was the NL Rookie of the Year and Joe Maddon was the NL Manager of the Year. Chicago became the first team since the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the first NL team since the 1991 Atlanta Braves to win three awards in the same season.
The MVP awards will be announced today.
Greinke posted a 1.66 ERA that was the lowest in the majors since Maddux in 1995. Greinke went 19-3, fanned 200 and had a scoreless streak of 45 2/3 innings.
Kershaw had won three of the previous four NL Cy Young awards. He struck out 301, the most in the majors since 2002, and went 16-7 with a 2.13 ERA for the NL West champions.
Sports on 11/19/2015