Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal has won the 2025 American League Cy Young Award for the second straight year. He received 26 of 30 first-place votes, edging out Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox. This marks the first back-to-back AL Cy Young win since Pedro Martinez in 1999 and 2000.
Tarik Skubal's repeat victory makes him the first AL pitcher to win consecutive Cy Young Awards since Pedro Martinez with the Boston Red Sox. He is the second Tiger to claim multiple Cy Youngs, joining Denny McLain, who won in 1968 and 1969. Skubal garnered 198 points in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with Crochet receiving the other four first-place votes for 132 points. Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros finished third.
In 2025, Skubal led the AL with a 2.21 ERA, 187 ERA+, 2.45 FIP, 7.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 6.5 bWAR. He recorded 241 strikeouts and delivered quality starts in 68% of his 31 outings. Highlights included a complete-game shutout against the Cleveland Guardians on May 25, striking out 13 with a career-high 102.6 mph fastball for the final out. He tossed seven or more scoreless innings in nine starts and performed better against winning teams, posting a 1.90 ERA in 7-4 record.
Skubal's changeup led MLB in run value at +25, contributing to his overall +51 run value, the highest in the majors. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch praised him, saying, "Sitting in my chair, one of the easiest things to do... is hand the ball to the best pitcher in baseball." Catcher Dillon Dingler added, "He put it all out on the line all season... He’s awesome."
Skubal emphasized team success in a post-announcement call: "It’s not an individual sport, it’s a team sport. And as a team, I just wanna win." Amid trade rumors as he enters his walk year in 2026, Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg stated, "Tarik is a Detroit Tiger." Skubal addressed speculation, noting, "I’ve given everything I have to this organization, and I want to be a Tiger for a very long time." He plans to gift his catchers watches again in spring training, continuing a tradition from last year.