SAN FRANCISCO -- Chicago White Sox right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease has been named American League Pitcher of the Month for June, his first career monthly honor.

Cease, 26, went 2-1 with a 0.33 ERA (1 ER/27.1 IP), 45 strikeouts (14.82 per 9.0 IP) and a .192 (19-99) opponents average over five starts in June to become the first White Sox pitcher to win the award since teammate Lucas Giolito in May 2019. 

He made five consecutive starts without allowing an earned run from May 29-June 26 (29.1 IP), joining Doc White in 1904 as the only starting pitchers in Sox history to accomplish that feat. Cease struck out a career-high 13 batters over 7.0 IP in his last outing on June 26 vs. Baltimore.

Cease is 6-3 with a 2.56 ERA (23 ER/81.0 IP) and 121 strikeouts in 15 starts this season. He leads the major leagues with an average of 13.44 strikeouts per 9.0 IP and ranks among the AL leaders in numerous categories, including strikeouts (2nd), ERA (6th), opponents average (6th, .209), slugging percentage (6th, .318) and OPS (8th, .615).

His average of 13.44 strikeouts per 9.0 IP would be the third-highest mark in MLB history (excluding the 2020 season) behind Houston’s Gerrit Cole (13.82) in 2019 and Boston’s Chris Sale (13.50) in 2018. Cease’s 121 strikeouts are the third-highest total in White Sox history by a pitcher after 15 starts.