Brendan Dentino

Image courtesy of © Erik Williams-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani owns a 0.82 ERA and seemingly hits a home run every time he starts. Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale is burnishing his Hall of Fame credentials with another stellar season. San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller had a negative FIP for almost two months. Yet, none of these pitchers were among baseball’s three best pitchers in May, and it wasn’t particularly close. It’s the bats that are supposed to come alive in May, after the spring chill stops buzzing the batters’ hands and dampening the balls' flight. But it’s the pitching that stole the show this month, particularly in the National League. You’d be hard-pressed to find a rotation spot for an American League pitcher in an All-MLB squad. The senior circuit’s stable of elite pitchers is possibly the deepest we’ve ever seen, and it’s one of the best Cy Young Award races in recent memory. The word that describes these pitchers best is ‘dominant.’ Below are the three pitchers who absolutely dominated MLB this month. Ranking MLB’s Best Pitchers in May #3. Chase Burns, SP, Cincinnati Reds The last person the struggling New York Mets wanted to see on the mound last Tuesday for the Cincinnati Reds was Chase Burns. Heading into that game, Burns had posted a 1.86 ERA on the season with a 0.87 WHIP. He was even better in May. At just 23-years old, Burns is everything that we thought Hunter Greene would be. His League-Adjusted Standardized Rates show how elite he’s been at such an early stage in his career. The key to that success is a fastball that he throws nearly 60% of the time. Why throw anything else when it averages 98.1 miles-per-hour? The Mets got a taste of it firsthand, as Burns threw eight strikeouts over 5.1 IP, allowing just two earned runs. In five May starts, Burns went 4-0 with a 1.19 ERA, just eight walks and 33 strikeouts over 30 1/3 innings for the month. “He’s really good, and he’s getting better,” manager Terry Francona said. “That’s exciting for us." That’s not exciting for the Mets or anyone else, for that matter. #2. Jacob Misiorowski, SP, Milwaukee Brewers This month, Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski had a lower WHIP than the Philadelphia Phillies' Christopher Sanchez (0.52 to 0.72), a lower opponents’ average (.109 to .181), and a higher strikeout rate (41.9% to 31.5%). Misiorowski also set a Statcast-era record on May 25 against the St. Louis Cardinals by throwing 57 pitches over 100 miles per hour. Why, then, is he only number two on this list? Because he allowed an earned run. In May, his ERA came in at 0.27. It’s an astronomical number compared to Sanchez’s 0.00 ERA. Misiorowski made his debut in June 2025. In less than a year, he became not only the Brewers’ ace but also one of the most dominant pitchers we’ve ever seen. #1. Cristopher Sanchez, SP, Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies were founded in 1883, so one would think there would be a precedent for what Christopher Sanchez achieved this month. There is not. He pitched 39 innings, and no one scored against him. His five starts in May are part of a 44.2-inning scoreless streak that dates back to April, and in his last start against the Padres, he shattered a franchise record set by Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1911. One of the many astonishing aspects of Sanchez’s month is his performance with runners on base. He ranks as only the eighth-best batting average against this month, having allowed 25 hits across 39 innings, yet his ERA is 0.00. That’s due in part to his lights-out repertoire, including what is probably the best changeup in baseball. He needed those strikeouts, all nine of them, against the Padres, for he allowed six hits. Several Padres also took him to the warning track, necessitating Phillies outfielders to make several catches at the wall. Sanchez didn’t have his best stuff, and he still shoved. At risk of sounding like a talking head, Sanchez isn’t a thrower. He’s a pitcher, and he had just had one of the best months for a starter in MLB history. View full article