Two dominant pitchers dominate baseball’s most prestigious pitching award, with Skenes delivering a historic unanimous victory and Skubal joining elite company with back-to-back honors.
Paul Skenes: From Rookie Sensation to Cy Young Winner
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes has cemented his place among baseball’s elite after winning the 2025 National League Cy Young Award with a historic unanimous decision. The 23-year-old right-hander received all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America—only the 16th time an NL pitcher has achieved unanimous status.
Skenes’ dominance on the mound was staggering throughout 2025. Playing for a last-place Pirates team that lost 91 games, he posted a 1.97 ERA—the lowest for a Pirate in the Live Ball Era (since 1920). His other standout metrics included a 0.95 WHIP, 216 strikeouts across 187⅔ innings, and an MLB-leading ERA+ of 217. Most remarkably, despite compiling a 10-10 record in just his second MLB season, Skenes managed a quality start in 63% of his outings.
This achievement is particularly impressive given Skenes was only called up to the majors on May 11, 2024, and has completed just 55 career starts with a career 1.96 ERA. He becomes only the second pitcher ever to win the Cy Young in the season immediately following a Rookie of the Year award, matching Dwight Gooden’s feat from the Mets in 1984 and 1985. Skenes is the third Pirates pitcher to win this honor, joining Vernon Law (1960) and Doug Drabek (1990).
When trade rumors swirled after his award, Skenes quickly shut down speculation: “My goal is to win with the Pirates,” he stated firmly, with Pirates GM Ben Cherington backing him up: “Paul Skenes is going to be a Pirate in 2026”.
Tarik Skubal: Repeating Excellence and Joining Legend
In the American League, Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal won his second consecutive Cy Young Award with 26 of 30 first-place votes, cementing his status as one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers.
The 28-year-old left-hander became only the 12th pitcher in MLB history to win back-to-back Cy Youngs, and just the first AL pitcher since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez to accomplish the feat (Martinez did it with the Red Sox in 1999 and 2000). Skubal’s last peer to achieve this was Jacob deGrom with the Mets in 2018 and 2019. He’s also only the second Tiger to win two Cy Young Awards, joining Hall of Famer Denny McLain (1968 and 1969).
Skubal’s 2025 season was statistically dominant: a 2.21 ERA (AL-leading), 240 strikeouts in 195⅓ innings, and an AL-best FIP of 2.45. His K/BB ratio of 7.30 led all qualifying pitchers in baseball, and he struck out 32.2% of opposing batters—also the MLB best. He logged quality starts in 68% of his appearances versus the MLB average of 51%, posting a 13-6 record while leading the Tigers back to the playoffs.
Even in the postseason, Skubal delivered, going 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA across three starts as Detroit upset the division-champion Cleveland Guardians in the wild-card round.
Historic Voting Patterns
The 2025 Cy Young voting produced unusual historical voting symmetry. In the NL, Skenes received all 30 first-place votes while runner-up Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies received all 30 second-place votes—the first time since the BBWAA moved to a five-player ballot format in 2010 that the top finisher got all firsts and the second-place finisher got all seconds.
Skenes competed against Philadelphia’s Sánchez (WAR: 8.0) and Los Angeles’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who later put on a postseason display for the Dodgers). Skubal’s AL competition included Boston’s Garrett Crochet (four first-place votes) and Houston’s Hunter Brown.
The Future of Two Generational Talents
Both winners enter pivotal contract phases. Skenes remains under club control through 2029, while Skubal enters a walk year in 2026 and is set for free agency, leaving questions about whether the Tigers will retain their anchor pitcher.
Regardless of what lies ahead, Skenes and Skubal have already etched their names into baseball history, delivering season-long performances that defined 2025 pitching excellence. Skenes’ unanimous Cy Young as a 23-year-old second-year pitcher and Skubal’s repeat championship mark them as future Hall of Fame candidates—a distinction these two aces have already begun earning.
