Tarik Skubal Becomes Unanimous AL Cy Young Winner

Left-handed Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal has been crowned the American League's Cy Young Award winner. The victory was unanimous, making it the third year in a row that an AL pitcher has won this honor without any disagreement among voters. Previous winners who received unanimous votes include Gerrit Cole in 2023 and Justin Verlander in 2022. Before them, the only other consecutive unanimous winners were Roger Clemens in 1998 and Pedro Martinez in 1999 and 2000. Skubal outshone other AL pitchers by leading in wins (18-4), earning run average (2. 39), and strikeouts (228). This impressive record made him the seventh AL pitcher to win the triple crown and the Cy Young Award in the same season.

Others who achieved this double feat include Clemens, Martinez, and Johan Santana. The Tigers have now had six pitchers honored with the Cy Young Award, with Skubal following in the footsteps of Denny McLain and Max Scherzer. Also noteworthy was Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians, who finished third—the highest ranking for a relief pitcher since 2008. Ballots were submitted before postseason play, with a scoring system where first place gets seven points and so on. Skubal and Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals were the only pitchers on every ballot.

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