New York ? Cliff Lee won the American League Cy Young Award in a runaway Thursday, capping a dominant comeback season that made him the second consecutive Cleveland Indians lefty to earn the honor.

Demoted to the minors last year, Lee went a major-league-best 22-3 this season with a 2.54 earned-run average. He received 24 of 28 first-place votes and 132 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Toronto ace Roy Halladay was a distant runner-up with four first-place votes and 71 points. Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Angels finished third with 32 points.

Lee became the third Cleveland pitcher to win the Cy Young, following Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972 and CC Sabathia last year.

The 30-year-old Lee led the AL in ERA and ranked second in innings (223 1-3) and complete games (four). Halladay, the 2003 AL Cy Young winner, topped those two categories with 246 innings and nine complete games. The right-hander also was 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA, second in the league. He piled up 206 strikeouts to Lee’s 170.

Still, Lee was a heavy favorite to win Thursday. The only question seemed to be whether the vote would be unanimous. Lee received a $250,000 bonus for winning, and the price of Cleveland’s 2010 club option increased from $8 million to $9 million. Halladay got $200,000 for finishing second. Rodriguez, who set a major-league mark with 62 saves this season, was listed second on seven ballots and third on 11.