Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal won his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award, while Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes earned the National League honor unanimously. Skubal edged out Boston's Garrett Crochet and Houston's Hunter Brown in AL voting, as Skenes topped Philadelphia's Cristopher Sánchez and Los Angeles' Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the NL. The awards were announced Wednesday on MLB Network.
Tarik Skubal became the 12th pitcher in MLB history to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards, securing the AL prize with 26 first-place votes and 198 points. In 2025, the 28-year-old left-hander made 31 starts for the Tigers, posting a 2.21 ERA over 195 1/3 innings, 241 strikeouts, and an MLB-best 0.89 WHIP. His performance improved on his 2024 unanimous win, where he led the AL with a 2.39 ERA, 228 strikeouts, and 192 innings. Skubal credited his success to consistency: "You just gotta do the same thing that you did the year prior that set yourself up for that kind of success." In the postseason, he allowed four earned runs with 36 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings across three starts.
Garrett Crochet finished second in the AL with 132 points (four first-place votes), going 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, 255 strikeouts, and a league-leading 205 1/3 innings for the Red Sox. Hunter Brown placed third with 80 points, boasting a 2.43 ERA and 6.1 WAR for the Astros.
In the NL, 23-year-old Paul Skenes received all 30 first-place votes for a unanimous win, his first Cy Young after 2024 Rookie of the Year honors. Skenes posted an MLB-best 1.97 ERA, 217 ERA+, 0.95 WHIP, and 216 strikeouts in 187 2/3 innings, holding opponents to a .199 average. He emphasized routine: "There's mental prep work every day... It's boring, but that's kind of what you have to do." Skenes became the fifth-youngest Cy Young winner at 23 years and 122 days.
Cristopher Sánchez was the unanimous runner-up with 120 points, recording a 2.50 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 202 innings for the Phillies. Yoshinobu Yamamoto finished third, with a 2.49 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 173 2/3 innings for the Dodgers.
Both winners were their teams' Roberto Clemente Award nominees for community efforts.
