Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Claims Second Straight AL Cy Young Award

In a testament to his commanding presence on the mound, Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal has secured the American League Cy Young Award for the second year running, announced on November 12, 2025, by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). At just 28 years old, Skubal’s 2025 season was a masterclass in pitching excellence, where he led the AL with a stellar 2.21 ERA across 31 starts and 195.1 innings, issuing only 33 walks while fanning 241 batters to anchor the Tigers’ rotation during their competitive campaign. This repeat victory not only extends his reign as the AL’s premier hurler but also builds on his unanimous 2024 win, when he captured the pitching Triple Crown with 18 victories, a 2.39 ERA, and 228 strikeouts, marking his evolution from a promising talent into an undeniable ace.​

A Rare Repeat in Cy Young History

Skubal’s back-to-back triumphs place him among baseball’s most exclusive company, as he becomes just the 23rd pitcher in MLB history to claim multiple Cy Young Awards since the award’s inception in 1956, a feat that underscores the rarity and prestige of sustained dominance at the highest level. The illustrious roll call of multi-winners boasts Roger Clemens with a record seven, Randy Johnson with five, and four-time honorees Steve Carlton and Greg Maddux, whose eras defined pitching artistry and longevity. Adding to the legacy are three-time winners like Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, Jim Palmer, Pedro Martinez, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander, alongside two-time recipients such as Denny McLain, Bob Gibson, Gaylord Perry, Bret Saberhagen, Tom Glavine, Johan Santana, Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, Corey Kluber, Jacob deGrom, and Blake Snell—each etching their name through seasons of exceptional control, velocity, and strategic brilliance.​

Focusing on consecutive wins, Skubal stands as the fifth AL pitcher to achieve this in back-to-back seasons and only the second in Tigers franchise history, emulating McLain’s consecutive honors in 1968-69 during Detroit’s powerhouse years. Roger Clemens stands out with dual repeat streaks—1986-87 for the Red Sox and 1997-98 for the Blue Jays—while Jim Palmer claimed his in 1975-76 with the Orioles, and Pedro Martinez dominated from 1999-2000 for the Red Sox, blending unhittable stuff with pinpoint accuracy. In the National League, the bar is even higher, with Greg Maddux securing four straight from 1992-95 and Randy Johnson mirroring that from 1999-2002, feats of unparalleled consistency; other notable back-to-back NL winners include Koufax (1965-66), Kershaw (2013-14), Lincecum (2008-09), Scherzer (2016-17), and deGrom (2018-19), highlighting how such streaks often propel teams deep into playoffs.​

Detroit’s Growing Cy Young Legacy

The Tigers organization now celebrates its seventh Cy Young winner overall, a milestone that reflects Detroit’s rich tradition of developing and unleashing elite arms capable of carrying franchises through tough divisions. Skubal joins two-time winner McLain as the club’s only repeat recipients, complemented by Justin Verlander’s 2011 masterpiece, Max Scherzer’s electric 2013 campaign, and Guillermo “Willie” Hernandez’s versatile 1984 performance that also earned him AL MVP honors.

Drafted in the ninth round out of the University of Michigan in 2018, Skubal’s path to stardom wasn’t linear—he debuted in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, battled through Tommy John surgery in 2022, and rebounded explosively to earn All-Star nods in both 2024 and 2025, all while mentoring a young Tigers squad that improved dramatically under his leadership. In 2025 alone, Detroit posted a 21-10 record in his starts, with Skubal’s ability to limit hard contact and induce whiffs proving pivotal in high-stakes games against AL Central rivals.​

Voting Breakdown and Close Competition

The BBWAA’s 30 voters—two from each AL city—delivered a resounding endorsement for Skubal, awarding him 26 first-place votes, four seconds, and a total of 198 points under the 7-4-3-2-1 scoring system, with ballots cast before the postseason to focus purely on regular-season merits. Remarkably, Skubal and Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox were the sole pitchers to grace every ballot, a nod to their unwavering excellence amid a deep field of contenders who collectively lowered ERAs and racked up innings in a pitcher-friendly year. Skubal’s statistical edge was clear: his 2.21 ERA topped the AL, his 2.45 FIP led all finalists, and his 7.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio highlighted elite command, contributing to a 6.5 bWAR that outshone Crochet’s 6.3 and Hunter Brown’s 6.1.​

Here’s the complete 2025 AL Cy Young results table, illustrating the depth of talent and Skubal’s clear separation at the top:

Individual Ballot Insights

Across the AL’s 15 markets, the ballots revealed near-universal acclaim for Skubal’s season-long mastery, with voters prioritizing his blend of endurance, efficiency, and game-changing outings that often silenced offenses in clutch moments. From Baltimore’s Andy Kostka and Roch Kubatko, who both led with Skubal ahead of Crochet, Brown, Fried, and either Woo or Rogers, to Boston’s Rob Bradford and Chris Cotillo mirroring that top four while differing on fifth (Woo vs. Chapman), the pattern of consensus was evident early. Chicago writers Kyle Williams and James Fegan kept Skubal first, slotting Rasmussen and Rodón fifth, while Cleveland’s Tim Stebbins and Chris Assenheimer favored him over the pack, with one elevating Rodón to fourth.​

Local pride shone in Detroit, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck and The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen identically ranked Skubal, Crochet, Brown, Fried, and Woo, reflecting the ace’s homegrown impact. Houston’s Jesus Linares and Richard Justice placed Skubal atop theirs, though Linares swapped Fried third over Brown; Kansas City’s Anne Rogers and Pete Grathoff followed suit, flipping Woo and Fried in the lower spots. Los Angeles ballots from Sam Blum and Jeff Fletcher put Skubal first, with Woo or Chapman rounding out; Minnesota’s Bobby Nightengale and Dan Hayes aligned on the top four, adding Woo or Chapman fifth.​

A few ballots bucked the trend, injecting intrigue: New York’s Eriko Takehama and Bob Klapisch both elevated Crochet to first with Skubal second, followed by Fried and variations of Brown or Woo; Seattle’s Daniel Kramer and Adam Jude stuck to the Skubal-led script through Woo. San Francisco’s Eno Sarris and Janie McCauley had Skubal first, with one adjusting Fried and Woo’s order; Tampa Bay’s John Romano and Luis Murphy favored Skubal over Crochet, including Chapman or deGrom fifth. Texas saw a split, with Stephen Hawkins picking Crochet first (Skubal second) and deGrom fifth, while Evan Grant reversed it; Toronto’s Mike Wilner and Mitch Bannon diverged on first place but agreed on Brown third and Woo-Fried below. This mix underscores the BBWAA’s rigorous process, where diverse perspectives still converged on Skubal’s superiority, guided by metrics like his league-best 187 ERA+—the highest for an AL pitcher since Verlander’s 2022 mark—and his changeup’s MLB-leading 25 run value.​

Skubal’s second Cy Young cements his trajectory as a cornerstone for the Tigers and a generational talent in an era of evolving pitching demands, where his 98 mph fastball, devastating changeup, and mental fortitude not only powered personal accolades but also fueled Detroit’s playoff aspirations. With 10 double-digit strikeout games, a career-high 102.6 mph fastball in a 13-strikeout shutout against Cleveland on May 25, and the majors’ top overall pitch run value at +51, Skubal’s 2025 campaign sets the stage for future hardware, including potential MVP contention, as he continues to redefine excellence for a franchise eyeing contention.