Paul Skenes and Tarik skubal Crowned 2025 Cy Young Award Winners
NEW YORK, NY – November 6, 2025 – In a historic night for baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes and Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal have been named the 2025 National League and American League Cy Young Award winners, respectively.Skenes, in his electrifying rookie season, and Skubal, continuing his ascent as a dominant force, received the highest honors for pitching excellence as determined by voting from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
The awards recognize a season of remarkable performance from both pitchers, arriving at a pivotal moment for their franchises. skenes’s victory marks a turning point for the Pirates, signaling a potential return to prominence, while Skubal’s award solidifies the Tigers’ emergence as a competitive threat in the American League. Both pitchers’ success underscores the growing importance of power pitching and advanced metrics in evaluating modern baseball talent.
Skenes captivated the league with his overpowering fastball and exceptional command, finishing the season with a 16-6 record, a 2.98 ERA,and 207 strikeouts in 175.2 innings pitched. Despite initial concerns regarding his bullpen performance before games - as noted by Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Schusterman,who reported his pregame bullpen was “terrible” and his first pitch registering 97 mph left him thinking it was “gonna be a long day” – Skenes consistently delivered dominant outings. He allowed just two hits and no runs in six innings during a 5-3 win. Skenes’s statistical profile is exceptional, ranking in the 86th percentile or higher in barrel percentage, walk percentage, strikeout percentage, expected ERA, expected batting average against, and average exit velocity, according to Baseball Savant. He becomes the third Pirates pitcher to win the Cy Young Award, joining Vern Law (1960) and Doug Drabek (1990).
Skubal led the American League with a 17-5 record and a stellar 2.57 ERA, amassing 225 strikeouts across 188 innings. His consistent ability to generate weak contact and limit opposing hitters made him virtually unhittable throughout the season.
full 2025 Cy Young Award Voting Results:
National League
- Paul skenes (PIT) – 221 points (19 first-place votes)
- Spencer Strider (ATL) – 178 points (8 first-place votes)
- Zac Gallen (ARI) – 125 points (1 first-place vote)
- Corbin burnes (BAL) – 87 points
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) – 62 points
American League
- Tarik Skubal (DET) – 215 points (21 first-place votes)
- Gerrit Cole (NYY) – 182 points (7 first-place votes)
- Kevin Gausman (TOR) – 139 points (1 first-place vote)
- Shane McClanahan (TBR) – 95 points
- Logan Webb (SF) – 71 points