Skubal wins AL Cy Young unanimously after Triple Crown campaign

DETROIT -- Tarik Skubal’s illustrious pro career does not yet include a shutout on the mound. The Tigers left-hander just delivered one on the awards ballot.

As well as other American League pitchers performed this past season, they found themselves in the same position on the AL Cy Young Award ballot as most hitters did when they stepped into the box against Skubal: They didn’t have a chance. The dominant southpaw capped his pitching Triple Crown season on Wednesday by winning the AL Cy Young Award in a unanimous vote from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

• All-time Cy Young Award winners

It was a coronation that put an extra twist on what was already going to be a celebration with his 28th birthday.

“It's pretty special,” Skubal told MLB Network from his couch, surrounded by family. “All the hard work, all that goes on behind the scenes, moments like this make it extremely worth it.”

Skubal received all 30 first-place votes, leaving five other pitchers competing for second-place honors. Royals right-hander Seth Lugo was the runner-up, followed by Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.

Skubal is the fifth Tiger to win the award, joining Max Scherzer (2013), Justin Verlander (2011), Willie Hernández (1984) and Denny McLain (1968 and ’69).

“It's an honor just to have my name be spoken in the same sentence as those guys,” Skubal said. “What those guys have been able to accomplish in their careers, that's something I'm going to strive for.”

It was a fitting ending to a historic season. While the Tigers rallied to their first playoff berth in a decade with a mantra of “pitching chaos,” they counted on Skubal as the fulcrum around which their pitching staff rotated. For some stretches, he basically was the rotation, sometimes as its only traditional starter, other times paired with rookie Keider Montero.

“We wouldn't be here without him,” teammate Riley Greene said during the AL Division Series. “I get it's a team game, but he's been incredible. I'm so proud of him. He had one of the greatest years I've ever seen. He's played a big role on this team, been a leader since Day 1. I just can't say enough about him. He's awesome.”

Skubal was up to the task. His 18 wins were the most by a Tiger since Scherzer had as many in 2014. His 2.39 ERA was the lowest by a qualified Detroit starter since Mark Fidrych’s incredible rookie season of 1976. His 5.9 fWAR trailed only Verlander’s 2009 and ’10 seasons as the most by a Tigers pitcher in his age-27 season or younger since 1971. His 6.3 bWAR not only led MLB pitchers, it ranked seventh among all AL players.

Skubal became the 22nd player in Major League history to win a pitching Triple Crown. Since the Cy Young Award was established in 1956, every pitcher who has won his league’s Triple Crown also won the Cy Young that year. Atlanta's Chris Sale won the NL Cy Young Award after winning the Triple Crown in the Senior Circuit.

Skubal held opponents to two runs or less in 24 of his 31 starts and did so over at least six innings in 21. He picked up a pair of 2-1 wins during the Tigers’ critical stretch-run surge, tossing eight innings of one-run ball against the Red Sox on Aug. 31 and seven scoreless innings against the Rays on Sept. 24.

“I think that extra X-factor that he carries with him is the competitiveness,” Tigers reliever Will Vest told MLB Network Radio on Wednesday. “I've had the pleasure of playing with him ever since he got drafted and watching him develop through the Minor Leagues. Even once he got to the big leagues, he kind of struggled early on, dealt with some injuries. And to see him come back, the guy works his tail off.

“In the offseason, in the season, every day he's got a plan, and he's very tailored in how he goes about his business, very calculated with everything that he does, from eating, to recovery, to literally everything. And I'm so happy for him to kind of see everything come to fruition this last year.”

By the Trade Deadline at the end of July, Skubal admitted Wednesday, “there were probably a few thoughts that crept into my head about it.”

The charge for a winning season and playoff spot, he said, allowed him to put it aside.

“It's always my goal to put my team in a position to win, but then you put some meaningful games in there the last six, seven weeks of the season, it really heightened that level of focus,” Skubal said. “What our team was able to do was special.”

While the wins and strikeouts piled up, Skubal stayed focused on the task at hand, saying he would take time at the end of the season to appreciate his work. That time is here.

“I don't really like talking about myself too much,” Skubal cautioned. “As much as this is an individual award, I think it's very much a team effort from the people in my life, group effort, from the organization, the defense behind me, the catching, the timely hitting. As much as I can make it about myself, I think it's important to give credit to the people who are around me.”

That said, Skubal's journey from Tommy John surgery in 2016 at Seattle University, to ninth-round Draft pick in 2018, to a learning curve early in his career, to left flexor tendon surgery that halted his career just as he was emerging in 2022, makes it all the sweeter for him.

“I'm very grateful,” he said. “The whole story that I've had it's very unique. I'm very grateful to have had all the bumps in the road that I've had and be able to bring me to this day.”

That journey isn’t complete.

“I've never been more motivated in my career to go out there and put my body in a position where I can stay healthy for 162 games, plus whatever the postseason brings,” Skubal said. “I'm proud of what I accomplished, but I've never been more eager to look forward.”