American League Cy Young Award Winner: Tarik Skubal, Tigers
Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal won his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, becoming the first pitcher to win the award in back-to-back seasons since Jacob deGrom in 2018–19 and the first AL pitcher to do so since Pedro Martinez in 1999–2000.
Skubal earned 26 of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, finishing ahead of Boston’s Garrett Crochet and Houston’s Hunter Brown. His dominance was reflected across every major statistical category, as he led all AL pitchers with a 6.5 WAR and a 2.21 ERA while posting a 13-6 record. Detroit reached the postseason largely on the strength of Skubal’s starts, going 21-10 in games he pitched.
The left-hander finished the season with 241 strikeouts against just 33 walks in 195⅓ innings. He also led qualified AL pitchers in strikeout rate (32.2%), walk rate (4.4%), OBP allowed (.240) and OPS allowed (.559). Skubal’s fastball averaged nearly 98 mph, and his elite changeup—holding hitters to a .154 average and responsible for 110 strikeouts—was one of the most effective pitches in the league.
Skubal did not allow a run in 12 of his 31 outings, the most scoreless starts of at least six innings in Tigers history and the most in MLB since Adam Wainwright in 2014. His back-to-back Cy Young Awards further elevate his status as one of the premier arms in baseball.
National League Cy Young Award Winner: Paul Skenes, Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes followed his stellar Rookie of the Year campaign by winning his first National League Cy Young Award unanimously. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander received all 30 first-place votes from the BBWAA, becoming the clear choice ahead of Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez and Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Skenes delivered a dominant season, finishing with a 1.97 ERA, a 0.948 WHIP and 216 strikeouts in 187⅔ innings. He surrendered only 11 home runs, held opposing hitters to a .199 average and led all NL pitchers in ERA, WHIP and FanGraphs WAR (6.5). He also posted league-best marks in ERA+ (217) and FIP (2.36) over 32 starts, including one complete game.
Armed with a fastball averaging 98.2 mph, Skenes overwhelmed lineups with a deep, seven-pitch arsenal. His sweeper (.150 average allowed) and changeup (.103) were nearly unhittable, while his four-seam fastball accounted for 104 of his strikeouts.
Skenes is now the second pitcher ever to win the Cy Young Award the year after being named Rookie of the Year, matching Dwight Gooden’s achievement in 1984–85. Only Fernando Valenzuela has won both awards in the same season. After finishing third in last year’s Cy Young voting, Skenes’ rapid rise has made him one of the most dominant arms in baseball.
