It could be the first of many for Paul Skenes. And the continuance of an autumn tradition for Tarik Skubal.
Skubal became the first American League pitcher to win consecutive Cy Young Awards since Pedro Martinez in 2000 while Skenes won his first NL plaque in unanimous fashion when winners were announced Nov. 12.
Skenes added a Cy Young plaque to his Rookie of the Year honor a year ago, when he finished third in Cy Young voting. Skubal, meanwhile, claimed unanimous Cy Young honors a year ago, when he won the AL Triple Crown with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts. In 2025, he ceded the strikeout title to Garrett Crochet but shaved his ERA to an AL-best 2.21 and his WHIP to a majors-best 0.89 while still striking out 241.
Skubal received 26 of 30 first-place votes, with four top marks going to Crochet.
For Skenes, it was a clean sweep: He claimed all 30 first-place votes in the NL, the 16th unanimous NL winner and first since Miami’s Sandy Alcantara in 2022. He joins the New York Mets’ Dwight Gooden (1984-85) as the lone pitchers to win top rookie and Cy Young honors in consecutive years.
Paul Skenes stats, contract
10-10, 1.97 ERA
32 starts, 187.2 innings
216 strikeouts, 0.95 WHIP
Skenes, 23, continues a remarkable arc that saw him drafted No. 1 overall out of LSU in July 2023, earn Rookie of the Year honors just more than a year later and then claimed baseball’s top pitching prize one season after that.
In this sophomore season, he was consistent like a bulldozer, completing six innings with two or fewer earned runs given up in 20 of 32 starts, leading the majors with a 1.97 ERA and by giving up just 0.5 homers per nine innings – just 11 all season.
Skenes was scarcely affected by a significant jump in innings, from 150 ⅓ between the minors and majors to 187 ⅔ in 2025. His strikeouts per nine innings dipped a bit – from 11.5 to 10.4 – but the upside was getting deeper into games, even as his teammates often failed to reward him for doing so. Skenes was just 10-10 this season and the Pirates 17-15 in games he started.
In non-Skenes starts, the Pirates were 54-76.
Tarik Skubal stats, contract
13-6, 2.21 ERA
31 starts, 195.1 innings
241 strikeouts, 0.89 WHIP
Skubal now takes two consecutive Cy Young awards into his final year before free agency. Contract extension talks with the Tigers have never gone very far, if only because Skubal’s emergence as an elite arm did not happen until he’d accrued several years of service time.
A 2026 threepeat would certainly give Skubal the platform to sign the largest contract for a pitcher in major league history. In these past two seasons, he’s already accrued plenty: 469 strikeouts in 387 ⅓ innings, a 6.9 strikeout-walk ratio, a 2.30 ERA and, lest we forget, a pair of ALDS appearances for the Tigers.
2025 AL Cy Young voting results
Voting on a 7-4-3-2-1 basis
Tarik Skubal, Tigers – 198 (26 of 30 first-place votes)
Garrett Crochet, Red Sox – 132 (four first-place votes)
Hunter Brown, Astros – 80
Max Fried, Yankees – 21
Bryan Woo, Mariners – 26
Carlos Rodon, Yankees – 5
Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox – 4
Jacob deGrom, Rangers – 2
Receiving one fifth-place vote: Trevor Rogers (Orioles) and Drew Rasmussen (Rays)
2025 NL Cy Young voting results
Paul Skenes, Pirates – 210 (30 of 30 first-place votes)
Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies – 120
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers – 72
Logan Webb, Giants – 47
Freddy Peralta, Brewers – 44
Nick Pivetta, Padres – 7
Jesus Luzardo, Phillies – 5
Andrew Abbott, Reds – 4
Zack Wheeler, Phillies – 1
Cy Young winners by year
2024: Tarik Skubal (Tigers) and Chris Sale (Braves)
2023: Gerrit Cole (Yankees) and Blake Snell (Padres)
2022: Justin Verlander (Astros) and Sandy Alcantara (Marlins)
2021: Robbie Ray (Blue Jays) and Corbin Burnes (Brewers)
2020: Shane Bieber (Cleveland) and Trevor Bauer (Reds)
2019: Justin Verlander (Astros) and Jacob deGrom (Mets)
2018: Blake Snell (Rays) and Jacob deGrom (Mets)
2017: Corey Kluber (Cleveland) and Max Scherzer (Nationals)
2016: Rick Porcello (Red Sox) and Max Scherzer (Nationals)
2015: Dallas Keuchel (Astros) and Jake Arrieta (Reds)
2025 Cy Young finalists
American League
Tarik Skubal, Tigers
Garrett Crochet, Red Sox
Hunter Brown, Astros
National League
Paul Skenes, Pirates
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies