Dominance on Display as Skubal and Skenes Take Home Cy Young Awards

The 2025 MLB season has culminated in a historic achievement for two exceptional pitchers: Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates have been named this year's American League and National League Cy Young Award winners, respectively. Their remarkable performances on the mound have set them apart, making them deserving recipients of baseball's top pitching honor.

Skubal's Unmatched Performance

Tarik Skubal received an impressive 26 first-place votes and accumulated 195 total points in the BBWAA voting, surpassing Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox and Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros. Following a breakout 2024 season, where he led the AL with a 2.39 ERA and a record 229 strikeouts, Skubal elevated his game in 2025, achieving an even more remarkable 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts.

His dominant season is underscored by leading the MLB with a 7.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 195.1 innings, a figure unmatched by any other player. Skubal's ability to stifle hitters is evident, having allowed two earned runs or fewer in 21 of his 31 regular-season starts. Moreover, he achieved double-digit strikeouts in 10 games, solidifying his status as the best starter in baseball. His fWAR of 6.6 and league-low expected ERA of 2.74 illustrate a season of unrelenting excellence.

Skenes Shines Bright as a Rookie

Paul Skenes, who was selected as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2023, has made an indelible mark in his early career. The 23-year-old was a unanimous choice for the NL Cy Young Award, securing 210 points to outpace Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers. After winning the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 with a staggering 1.96 ERA, Skenes continued his ascent in 2025, finishing with an impressive 1.97 ERA and averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Demonstrating resilience and adaptability, Skenes navigated challenging starts with aplomb, including a memorable outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he silenced critics by throwing six shutout innings despite a rocky pregame bullpen session.

Historic Recognition

With this recognition, Skubal becomes the first pitcher since Pedro Martínez to win back-to-back AL Cy Young awards, while Skenes joins an elite group, becoming only the third Pirates pitcher to earn the honor, following in the footsteps of Vern Law and Doug Drabek.

As they continue to dominate the mound, both pitchers are setting new benchmarks for excellence in MLB, elevating their teams' status and exemplifying the pinnacle of pitching prowess.