New York ? Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks won a wide-open race for the NL Cy Young Award, beating out San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman on Tuesday.

One of six pitchers who tied for the league lead with a pedestrian total of 16 wins, Webb received 15 of 32 first-place votes and 103 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Hoffman, who broke the career saves record last season, had 12 first-place votes and 77 points.

St. Louis Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, last year’s winner, finished third with two first-place votes and 63 points. Houston’s Roy Oswalt, who led the NL with a 2.98 earned-run average, received the other three first-place tallies and came in fourth.

Webb, who went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA and made his first All-Star team, was listed second on seven ballots and third on seven others. No pitcher was included on every entry.

Webb’s victory total was the lowest for a starting pitcher who won the Cy Young Award in a full season. The previous low was 17 wins, by Pedro Martinez of the Montreal Expos in 1997 and Randy Johnson for Arizona in ’99.