Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal was named the AL Cy Young for the second year in a row. The Tigers star is often cited among the best pitchers in baseball. Another prominent name in that discussion, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, won hardware as Rookie of the Year in 2024. In 2025, he took the top prize for himself.

Skenes has been named the 2025 NL Cy Young award winner, as announced on MLB Network. The Pirates ace not only won the award, but there was no other real contender. He won the Cy Young by a unanimous vote, earning all 30 first-place votes.

Article Continues Below

Skenes has become one of the best pitchers in baseball in a very short amount of time. In 2025, he followed up an 11-3 season with a modest 10-10 record. However, he pitched to an otherworldly 1.97 ERA, which led all qualified pitchers in Major League Baseball. He finished with 216 strikeouts to just 42 walks, as well.

The 2025 NL Cy Young winner did not receive a ton in the way of run support. Pittsburgh only scored more than three runs in two of the games he started in which they lost. Moreover, the Pirates only managed more than zero or one run in nine of the 15 games they lost with Skenes on the mound.

The Pirates hoped to contend for the postseason on the back of their pitching staff. However, Skenes was unable to carry this team toward contention. In fact, Pittsburgh finished dead last in the NL Central, seven games back of the 78-84 St. Louis Cardinals, who were in fourth place.