Tarik Skubal Wins AL Cy Young Again; Paul Skenes Takes NL Honor

BREAKING: Tarik Skubal has just clinched his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award, confirming his status as one of baseball’s elite pitchers. The left-handed ace for the Detroit Tigers triumphed over formidable contenders, including Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox and Hunter Brown from the Houston Astros, in voting conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

In a stunning season, Skubal finished with an impressive 13-6 record, a remarkable 2.21 ERA, and a staggering 241 strikeouts across 195.1 innings. This achievement makes him the first pitcher since Jacob deGrom to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards, and the first AL pitcher to do so since Pedro Martinez in 1999 and 2000.

Skubal dominated the league this year, leading in key metrics such as Baseball-Reference WAR at 6.5 and FanGraphs WAR at 6.6. He also topped the charts in ERA, strikeout rate at 32.2%, lowest walk rate at 4.4%, and allowed opponents a mere .240 on-base percentage.

The Tigers’ ace showcased his prowess with a blistering fastball averaging nearly 98 mph and a deadly changeup that limited batters to a mere .154 average. He achieved the remarkable feat of not allowing a run in 12 of his 31 starts, a record for the Tigers and the highest in the majors since Adam Wainwright in 2014.

Skubal expressed gratitude to the Tigers organization for nurturing his development, especially after his injury in 2023, which allowed him to refine his skills during rehab. “There’s kind of a blessing in disguise in getting hurt in that aspect,” he said during an interview with MLB Network.

Despite his stellar regular season, Skubal’s postseason ended in disappointment for the second consecutive year as the Tigers fell to the Seattle Mariners in the American League Division Series. In Game 5, Skubal pitched valiantly, allowing just one run over six innings, leaving the game with a 2-1 lead, only for the Mariners to rally back and win 3-2 in a 15-inning thriller.

As he heads into free agency after the 2026 season, discussions about a contract extension loom. His agent, Scott Boras, is known for rarely facilitating extensions close to free agency, leading to speculation about potential trade scenarios this offseason.

With this victory, Skubal joins an elite group of just five pitchers in Tigers history to win the Cy Young Award, including legends such as Denny McLain and Justin Verlander. His journey from a ninth-round pick out of Seattle University to Cy Young winner serves as a testament to perseverance in the game of baseball.

Stay tuned for further updates on Skubal’s career and the implications of this award on the Tigers’ future.