Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has won the 2025 National League Cy Young Award unanimously, earning all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The 23-year-old followed his 2024 Rookie of the Year honor with a dominant season, leading the NL in ERA+ and FIP. He joins Tarik Skubal, who repeated as AL Cy Young winner, in highlighting a new era of elite pitching.
Paul Skenes, the 23-year-old ace for the Pittsburgh Pirates, was announced as the unanimous winner of the 2025 National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night. He received all 30 first-place votes, ahead of Philadelphia Phillies' Cristopher Sánchez, who got all 30 second-place votes, and Los Angeles Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto in third. Skenes is the third Pirates pitcher to claim the honor, following Vern Law in 1960 and Doug Drabek in 1990, and the first unanimous selection among them.
In his second MLB season, Skenes made 32 starts, posting a 10-10 record over 187 2/3 innings despite the Pirates' 91 losses. His statistics were exceptional: a 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 2.36 FIP, and MLB-leading 217 ERA+, along with 216 strikeouts and a 5.14 K/BB ratio. He achieved quality starts in 63% of his outings and a 7.7 WAR, second only to Sánchez's 8.0 across baseball. Skenes also held opponents to a .200 batting average or lower, tying for second in NL strikeouts with Jesús Luzardo.
"Winning it is one thing. It being a unanimous decision is another," Skenes said. "It’s pretty special. The Cy Young Award is the Cy Young Award. Every baseball fan knows it." He emphasized team success over individual accolades, stating, "The recognition is great. It's temporary. It's about advancing the game, making the Pittsburgh Pirates jersey that I'm wearing better."
Skenes finished third in the 2024 NL Cy Young voting after winning Rookie of the Year, becoming the second pitcher to win the Cy Young the year after ROY, matching Dwight Gooden. Through his first 55 career starts, he maintains a 1.96 ERA. Pirates GM Ben Cherington confirmed Skenes will remain with the team in 2026 amid trade rumors.
Meanwhile, Tigers' Tarik Skubal won his second straight AL Cy Young, the first back-to-back since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000. Skubal earned 26 of 30 first-place votes with a 2.21 ERA, 187 ERA+, and 6.5 bWAR. Both young aces are poised for future dominance, with Skenes' early career ERA+ of 215 ranking as the best through age 24 in modern MLB history.