Dylan Cease has officially been named the American League’s Pitcher of the Month for July — because, of course, he is.

The Toronto Blue Jays’ ace was phenomenal over the past month, headlined by his no-hit bid against the San Francisco Giants before the All-Star break and a one-hit complete-game shutout versus the Boston Red Sox, which also matched a season-high 12 strikeouts.

Overall, Cease made five starts in July, compiling 36.0 innings — tied for the second-most among major-league starting pitchers, behind only Taj Bradley’s 37.0 frames. He also ranked second in ERA (1.00) and opponents’ AVG (.124), and was tied for first in fWAR (1.4) with three other pitchers — Tarik Skubal, Cam Schlittler and Sean Burke.

Additionally, Cease placed fourth in strikeout rate (34.8 per cent), sixth in FIP (2.18) and seventh in xERA (2.18).

Atlanta Braves’ ace Chris Sale won the National League Pitcher of the Month award for July. It’s also worth noting that newly acquired José Soriano — traded to Toronto for three prospects, including Arjun Nimmala, in Monday’s blockbuster — also won AL Pitcher of the Month back in March/April.

The fellow hard-throwing righty enjoyed a spectacular start to the season, posting a 0.24 ERA with 43 strikeouts and only 13 walks across his first six starts (37.2 innings), also featuring a 57.8 per cent ground-ball rate. He and Cease, of course, will now anchor the top of Toronto’s starting rotation for the foreseeable future.

In the first season of a seven-year, $210 million contract signed last off-season, Cease has emerged as a legitimate contender in this season’s AL Cy Young race, building a compelling case against Schlittler, who’s widely considered the current front-runner. Lately, both hurlers have been pacing each other start for start, making each outing must-watch viewing for baseball fans and award voters alike.

Cease will enter his next start, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday’s series finale in Houston, having allowed just one run over his last 15 innings pitched.

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