Sale and Skubal claim Cy Young Awards for standout seasons
Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers celebrated outstanding seasons by securing the Cy Young Awards in their respective leagues, as announced Wednesday night by Major League Baseball.
Both left-handed pitchers dominated the mound, each achieving the pitching Triple Crown. Sale led the National League in wins, strikeouts, and earned-run average (ERA), while Skubal — who earned the award with a unanimous vote — mirrored the accomplishment in the American League.
This marks the first Cy Young win for both players.
Sale delivered an impressive 18-3 record, leading the NL with 225 strikeouts and posting a 2.38 ERA over 29 starts, the best among all major league qualifiers. It was his debut season in the National League, capping a big-league journey that began in 2010 with the Chicago White Sox.
Skubal, who turned 28 on the day of the announcement, finished the season 18-4 with a stellar 2.39 ERA and a league-best 228 strikeouts in 31 starts. He received all 30 first-place votes in the AL balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America before the playoffs.
Sale received 26 first-place votes, while Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies, the NL runner-up, claimed the remaining four.
“If you look at his career, it’s no surprise that he’s winning this award,” Skubal said about Sale. “To be able to share this award and win it the same year, and win the same triple crown award in the AL and NL, that’s something that’s really special to me, and it’s awesome. I’ll be able to live with that the rest of my life.”
Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates finished third in the NL, just two days after being named NL Rookie of the Year. In the AL, Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo was the runner-up, with Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, who recorded 47 saves, taking third.
In addition, Reynaldo Lopez, Sale’s teammate, was one of three NL pitchers to receive a single fifth-place vote.
Skubal dominated the AL voting with all 30 first-place votes, earning 210 points. He outpaced fellow finalists Seth Lugo (93 points) and Emmanuel Clase (66 points).
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