5 days ago
Tarik Skubal Gets Good Cy Young Award News on Tuesday
Tarik Skubal Gets Good Cy Young Award News on Tuesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Detroit Tigers head into Tuesday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles with the best record in all of Major League Baseball. Fresh off taking two of three games from the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs, Detroit has surged to the top of the American League standings.
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At 43-24, the Tigers sit alone in first place in the AL Central, and their dominant pitching staff is a major reason why.
Leading the staff is the 2024 American League Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal. The 28-year-old lefty is back to his elite form in 2025.
MLB posted its latest Cy Young poll Tuesday afternoon, and the news was good for Detroit fans. According to the league:
"Tarik Skubal remains the favorite to win his second straight AL Cy Young.'
Skubal is still the clear front-runner according to ESPNBet, coming in at -190 odds. Trailing him are Hunter Brown, Jacob deGrom and Max Fried at +800, followed by Garrett Crochet at +900.
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If Skubal wins the award again, he'd be the first American League pitcher since Pedro Martinez to earn back-to-back Cy Young awards. Martinez did it in 1999 and 2000 with the Boston Red Sox.
Tigers pitcher Tarik Hanisch-Imagn Images
Skubal has been with the Tigers since 2020, when he made seven starts as a rookie. After entering 2024 with a career record of 23-27, he exploded for a breakout season. He went 18-4 in 31 starts, posting a 2.39 ERA. Over 192 innings, Skubal struck out 228 and walked just 35.
So far in 2025, he's 6-2 through 13 starts with a sparkling 2.16 ERA. He's struck out 105 and issued only seven walks. In a recent start against the Cubs, Skubal tossed 7.2 innings, allowing eight hits and just one run.
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His month of May was particularly dominant. In 41 innings, he gave up only 22 hits and 10 runs while striking out 59 and walking two. That kind of command has made him nearly untouchable.
Skubal is expected to start the series finale Thursday in Baltimore. After that, the Tigers return home to host the Cincinnati Reds starting Friday.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
