Tarik Skubal he has his first Cy Young award. The Baseball Writers Association of America announced that the Tigers ace won the AL Cy Young by a unanimous vote. He got all 30 first place votes. Kansas City Seth Lugo ranked second, with Cleveland close behind Emmanuel Clase rounded out the top three.
Whether Skubal will win this award has never been in doubt. The hard-throwing southpaw, who turns 28 today, won the AL’s triple Crown. He led the Junior Circuit with a 2.39 run average in 192 innings. He held the major league record in wins (18) and hits (228). Skubal dominated from start to finish, as he did not allow an ERA higher than 3.05 in any month. He carried a 2.41 mark at the All-Star Break to earn his first selection to the Midsummer Classic.
Skubal pitched 76 innings of 2.37 ERA ball after the break, serving as one continuity in Detroit’s tight-knit backfield. Jack Flaherty trade deadline. He was instrumental in the Tigers’ Cinderella run to the Wild Card in the second half. He finished the regular season with seven scoreless innings in a 2-1 victory over the Rays that ensured Detroit would win the final weekend of the regular season.
This was the first season in which Skubal topped 150 innings. He looked like a budding ace in 2022, when he turned in a 3.52 ERA with big strikeout numbers in 21 starts. A late season injury halted that year. Skubal had flexor surgery in August and was out in July ’23. He struck out 102 batters with a 2.80 ERA in 15 starts to close out that season. Skubal was a young preseason Cy Young player if he couldn’t stay healthy. He lived up to that promise.
More to come.
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