Latest news with #CyYoungs
NBC Sports
21-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Detroit's Tarik Skubal making a bid for a Cy Young repeat. He'd be the first in AL to do that since 2000
It's been a quarter century since an American League pitcher won back-to-back Cy Young Awards. It takes a pretty special pitcher to pull that off — but Tarik Skubal fits the bill. Skubal showed why he's the favorite to win the Cy Young for a second straight year, striking out 11 with no walks Sunday night in Detroit's 2-1 victory over Texas. If the Cy Young indeed goes to him, he'll be the first AL pitcher to earn it in back-to-back seasons since Pedro Martinez's remarkable stretch with the Red Sox in 1999 and 2000. Roger Clemens won consecutive Cy Youngs on two different occasions (1986-87 and 1997-98), and Jim Palmer did it in 1975 and '76. Those are the only AL pitchers besides Martinez to pull that off. It's been a bit more common in the National League: Greg Maddux (1992-95) and Randy Johnson (1999-2002) both won four straight, and Tim Lincecum (2008-09), Clayton Kershaw (2013-14), Max Scherzer (2016-17) and Jacob deGrom (2018-19) are in the two-in-a-row club. National Leaguer Sandy Koufax won the Cy Young in 1965 and 1966, back when there was only one award for both leagues. The win Sunday snapped a six-game losing streak for the Tigers, who still have baseball's best record and an 11-game lead in the AL Central. Not only has Detroit struggled to win games lately, but the All-Star game didn't go great either, with Skubal giving up two runs in the first inning and Tigers teammate Casey Mize allowing a homer in the sixth. Skubal, however, pitched well enough on Sunday to take over the AL lead in ERA. He's at 2.1854, while Boston's Garrett Crochet is at 2.1946. Trivia time In 1988, a Minnesota left-hander won the ERA title by an unusually slim margin, finishing at 2.4465, while Milwaukee's Teddy Higuera was second at 2.4545. Who was that Twins pitcher? Double repeat? Not only does Skubal have a shot at winning two straight Cy Young Awards, but last year's AL MVP — Aaron Judge — has a good chance to repeat as well. Only three times has a league had back-to-back winners of both its MVP and Cy Young — and all three times it happened in the NL. Albert Pujols was MVP and Lincecum won the Cy Young in 2008 and 2009. Barry Bonds was MVP in 2001 and 2002 while Johnson was winning the Cy Young — and Bonds was also MVP in 1992 and 1993 while Maddux was taking Cy Young honors. Line of the week Miami's Kyle Stowers, who hit three homers last Sunday in the final game before the All-Star break, added two more in the Marlins' first game back Friday night. One of those was a two-run walk-off shot that gave Miami an 8-7 win over Kansas City. Honorable mention: Minnesota's Joe Ryan allowed one run in seven innings and struck out 11 in a 7-1 win over Colorado on Sunday. The All-Star right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.63. Comeback of the week The New York Yankees rallied from a 7-2 sixth-inning deficit to beat Atlanta 12-9 on Saturday night. Trent Grisham hit a tiebreaking grand slam with two outs in the top of the ninth. Before that, the Yankees scored four runs in the sixth and got solo homers from Cody Bellinger and Anthony Volpe in the seventh and eighth. Atlanta's win probability peaked at 96.1% in the fifth, according to Baseball Savant. Trivia answer No, it wasn't Frank Viola, the Minnesota lefty who went 24-7 and won the Cy Young that year. The left-hander on the Twins who edged Higuera for the ERA title was Allan Anderson.
Winnipeg Free Press
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Detroit's Skubal making a bid for a Cy Young repeat. He'd be the first in AL to do that since 2000
It's been a quarter century since an American League pitcher won back-to-back Cy Young Awards. It takes a pretty special pitcher to pull that off — but Tarik Skubal fits the bill. Skubal showed why he's the favorite to win the Cy Young for a second straight year, striking out 11 with no walks Sunday night in Detroit's 2-1 victory over Texas. If the Cy Young indeed goes to him, he'll be the first AL pitcher to earn it in back-to-back seasons since Pedro Martinez's remarkable stretch with the Red Sox in 1999 and 2000. Roger Clemens won consecutive Cy Youngs on two different occasions (1986-87 and 1997-98), and Jim Palmer did it in 1975 and '76. Those are the only AL pitchers besides Martinez to pull that off. It's been a bit more common in the National League: Greg Maddux (1992-95) and Randy Johnson (1999-2002) both won four straight, and Tim Lincecum (2008-09), Clayton Kershaw (2013-14), Max Scherzer (2016-17) and Jacob deGrom (2018-19) are in the two-in-a-row club. National Leaguer Sandy Koufax won the Cy Young in 1965 and 1966, back when there was only one award for both leagues. The win Sunday snapped a six-game losing streak for the Tigers, who still have baseball's best record and an 11-game lead in the AL Central. Not only has Detroit struggled to win games lately, but the All-Star game didn't go great either, with Skubal giving up two runs in the first inning and Tigers teammate Casey Mize allowing a homer in the sixth. Skubal, however, pitched well enough on Sunday to take over the AL lead in ERA. He's at 2.1854, while Boston's Garrett Crochet is at 2.1946. Trivia time In 1988, a Minnesota left-hander won the ERA title by an unusually slim margin, finishing at 2.4465, while Milwaukee's Teddy Higuera was second at 2.4545. Who was that Twins pitcher? Double repeat? Not only does Skubal have a shot at winning two straight Cy Young Awards, but last year's AL MVP — Aaron Judge — has a good chance to repeat as well. Only three times has a league had back-to-back winners of both its MVP and Cy Young — and all three times it happened in the NL. Albert Pujols was MVP and Lincecum won the Cy Young in 2008 and 2009. Barry Bonds was MVP in 2001 and 2002 while Johnson was winning the Cy Young — and Bonds was also MVP in 1992 and 1993 while Maddux was taking Cy Young honors. Line of the week Miami's Kyle Stowers, who hit three homers last Sunday in the final game before the All-Star break, added two more in the Marlins' first game back Friday night. One of those was a two-run walk-off shot that gave Miami an 8-7 win over Kansas City. Honorable mention: Minnesota's Joe Ryan allowed one run in seven innings and struck out 11 in a 7-1 win over Colorado on Sunday. The All-Star right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.63. Comeback of the week Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The New York Yankees rallied from a 7-2 sixth-inning deficit to beat Atlanta 12-9 on Saturday night. Trent Grisham hit a tiebreaking grand slam with two outs in the top of the ninth. Before that, the Yankees scored four runs in the sixth and got solo homers from Cody Bellinger and Anthony Volpe in the seventh and eighth. Atlanta's win probability peaked at 96.1% in the fifth, according to Baseball Savant. Trivia answer No, it wasn't Frank Viola, the Minnesota lefty who went 24-7 and won the Cy Young that year. The left-hander on the Twins who edged Higuera for the ERA title was Allan Anderson. ___ AP MLB:
Fox Sports
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 MLB All-Star Game: Building the Best Royals Lineup
Even with a crowned jumbotron in straight center, Kauffman Stadium isn't known for regal views. But hitting homers into water fountains does put you into rarified air. As such, the Kansas City Royals have had plenty of memorable players and moments – not to mention two World Series titles and one infamous pine-tarred bat. Manager: Ned Yost The Royals have won two World Series in 56 seasons; one of those was with Ned Yost. He was also at the helm for their losing 2014 appearance, but getting there is an accomplishment, especially in an organization that's made it to the World Series four times. Yost leads Kansas City in wins, and it isn't close even with the likes of Whitey Herzog and Dick Howser in their ranks. While he was under .500 for his career there, Yost's late, 100-loss seasons weren't exactly his fault. Go ahead, name a 2019 Royals player off the top of your head. Starting pitcher: Bret Saberhagen Kevin Appier pitched with the Royals for longer, and produced more pitcher wins above replacement, too, but Bret Saberhagen is the guy you'd hand the ball to with the game on the line. He won a pair of Cy Youngs in Royals' blue: first in 1985, the World Series-winning year — in which Saberhagen also threw two complete games in the Fall Classic while allowing a single run to earn MVP honors — and in '89, when Saberhagen led the majors in ERA (2.16), complete games (12), innings (261.1), K/BB (4.5), wins (23) and pitcher WAR (9.7). Reliever/closer: Dan Quisenberry Before the one-inning closer, there was Dan Quisenberry. Quiz eventually worked that way, too, but before that change, the mustachioed righty regularly threw well over 100 innings in relief per year, even coming in after the starter and finishing the game. He's the Royals' all-time leader in ERA (2.55) and second in saves, and all despite striking out just 3.1 batters per nine in Kansas City — a low rate even for the era. Quisenberry managed by never walking anyone or allowing homers: he allowed 139 walks in 920 innings (1.4 per nine) and just 52 long balls. Catcher: Salvador Perez One of the most incredible things about Salvador Perez's career is that, despite not being a huge power guy, he exploded for a record 48 dingers in 2021 — no primary catcher has ever hit more in a season, and that also led the majors that year. More incredible, however, is that Perez would still be deserving of this spot without that season: his exceptional defense earned five Gold Gloves, his bat five Silver Sluggers, he's made nine All-Star teams, and is still the Royals' backstop a decade after they won the World Series — where he was series MVP. 1B: Eric Hosmer Eric Hosmer's offensive numbers might not jump off of the page, but that's not how his era of Royals were built: they were balanced teams, strong defenders who could single you to your doom, and Hosmer was one of the more successful examples of that strategy. He hit .284/.342/.439 over seven years with the Royals — better than that in his and their peak years — while winning four Gold Gloves. That package deal is what made him valuable, and the Royals champions. His career tailed off after he left Kansas City, but 2015's flag flies forever. 2B: Frank White Defense-first was not an invention of the 2010s Royals. Frank White spent 18 years in Kansas City, and his offense was not his defining trait. White often hit well enough for the position's requirements, and fielded as well as anyone else, as his eight Gold Gloves — six of which were won in a row from 1977-1982 — and top-ranked defensive WAR (22) attest. Like with the 2010s Royals, having players like White around resulted in a championship: the Royals made the postseason seven times between 1976-1985, and won their first World Series in '85. White homered in it, by the way. 3B: George Brett George Brett spent 21 years with the Royals; it should not surprise you that he's all over the franchise leaderboards. He's first in WAR (88.6) games played (2,707), hits (3,154), total bases (5,044), singles (2,035), doubles (665), triples (137), home runs (317), RBIs (1,596), walks (1,096), times on base (4,283), extra-base hits (1,119), and even sacrifice flies (120). He's an all-time great not just for the Royals, but third base and MLB, as well: his .390 average in 1980 is the closest full-season figure to Ted Williams' .406 mark in 1941. SS: Bobby Witt Jr. Early? Maybe! But consider what Bobby Witt Jr. has already done so far: he finished second for the AL MVP in 2024 while winning the battle title, hitting .332/.389/.588 with 32 homers and 31 steals — that average led the majors, not just the AL, and he had 88 extra-base hits overall. Witt also won a Gold Glove, having turned his defense from a weight around his neck into a significant plus in short order: the sky's the limit for Witt Jr., who has all the makings of not just a Royals' great, but an MLB one, too. OF: Willie Wilson Willie Wilson was a key member of the Royals' late-70s and 1980s postseason squads, and 1982's batting title recipient — his .332 average led both leagues. From 1979 through 1985, Wilson peaked, batting a collective .305/.342/.400 while leading the majors in triples on three occasions, and with Gold Glove-caliber outfield defense for many of those years. His World Series performance in '85 was significant, too, with Wilson collecting 11 hits and a walk while driving in three and snagging a stolen base. Wilson is the Royals' all-time leader in steals, too, with 612, which also ranks 12th in MLB. OF: Alex Gordon The Royals love their lifers, and Alex Gordon managed to play all 14 years of his career with Kansas City. A third baseman who later moved to the outfield, Gordon peaked at the right time — between 2011 and 2015 — for the Royals. In that stretch, he hit .281/.359/.450 and produced the majority of his career wins above replacement — just in time for the Royals to make the World Series on two occasions, winning one. Even as his bat diminished, Gordon kept winning Gold Gloves: he'd take home eight in all, including in his final four seasons. OF: Carlos Beltran Carlos Beltran might end up in the Hall of Fame someday, and his start with the Royals would certainly play into that. He was a power/speed combination player back then, though, more speed than power at that point, and he already had the excellent batting eye that he'd become known for, too: Beltran hit .287/.352/.483 with 123 home runs and 164 steals for Kansas City before he was dealt to the Houston Astros in 2004. Beltran's stolen base success rate with Kansas City was 87.7%; he finished his career at 86.4%, the MLB record. DH: Hal McRae The designated hitter position was introduced to the American League in 1973, which just so happened to be the year that Hal McRae left the Reds and joined the Royals. While McRae would still don a glove on occasion, the bulk of his career from then on came as the DH: he'd play 1,426 games at the position, logging 5,917 of his remaining 7,362 plate appearances there. McRae batted .293/.356/.458 for Kansas City over 15 years, and still had something in the tank — a 118 OPS+ — as a 39-year-old for the 1985 championship team. Honorable Mentions: Whitey Herzog (manager) Kevin Appier (starting pitcher) Zack Greinke (starting pitcher) Dennis Leonard (starting pitcher) Paul Splittorff (starting pitcher) Jeff Montgomery (reliever/closer) Greg Holland (reliever/closer) John Mayberry (1B) Whit Merrifield (2B) Cookie Rojas (2B) Mike Moustakas (3B) Kevin Seitzer (3B) Joe Randa (3B) Freddie Patek (SS) Alcides Escobar (SS) Amos Otis (OF) Al Cowens (OF) Danny Tartabull (OF) Jermaine Dye (OF) David DeJesus (OF) Bo Jackson (OF) Mike Sweeney (DH) Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers' Max Muncy Praises Clayton Kershaw, Believes He Was Justly Selected to All-Star Game
Dodgers' Max Muncy Praises Clayton Kershaw, Believes He Was Justly Selected to All-Star Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Nobody is arguing about Clayton Kershaw's legacy. The Los Angeles Dodgers' legendary starting pitcher further cemented himself among baseball's all-time greats when he recorded his 3,000th strikeout last week. Advertisement However, his All-Star selection did raise a few eyebrows. Commissioner Rob Manfred utilized a 'Legend Pick' to get Kershaw into the Midsummer Classic. The last time he did that was in 2022 for Albert Pujols, who was in his final year, and Miguel Cabrera, who played just 98 games in 2023 to wrap up his career. While Kershaw did not take another, more deserving player's spot, the choice was a little surprising considering he has made no indication that he is retiring soon. His Dodgers teammates do not care, and Max Muncy is particularly appreciative of his service. Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) celebrates scoring during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Dodger Lee-Imagn Images Here is what Muncy had to say on the 'Foul Territory' podcast: Advertisement Kershaw has made just 10 starts this year, going 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA, a 4.19 FIP, and 35 strikeouts to 15 walks over 50 and 2/3 innings. For a regular pitcher, that would not be enough to earn All-Star honors. But Kershaw is not a regular pitcher. He has already been in 10 of those games, has won three Cy Youngs, an MVP, a Triple Crown, and a Robert Clemente Humanitarian Award. Honoring him in the same fashion as Pujols and Cabrera feels right, even if this is a bit premature for the retirement tour. The All-Star Game is still prestigious, and adding a future first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee, even in an 'off-year,' is the proper way to celebrate icons of the sport. Advertisement Muncy, who has been teammates with Kershaw since 2018, will likely go to his grave defending his incredible starting pitcher. Related: Dodgers Announce Trade With Brewers During Series Related: Dodgers Trade Idea Sends Andy Pages to Reds for All-Star Starting Pitcher This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
06-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Clayton Kershaw is a 2025 MLB All-Star as 'Legend Pick' for Midsummer Classic
There were the young All-Stars, the first-time All-Stars and the old All-Stars, but no name resonated more brightly Sunday during the selections was Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Clayton Kershaw. Just four days after entering the record books with his 3,000th strikeout, Kershaw is now going to the All-Star Game for the 11th time of his illustrious career, chosen by commissioner Rob Manfred as his 'Legend Pick" in recognition of the Dodgers veteran. Kershaw, the oldest All-Star at 37 years old, becomes the first All-Star chosen by Manfred since 2022 when he chose Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, who were in the final year of their careers. Kershaw has not announced whether this will be his final season, but after three Cy Youngs, two World Series championships and becoming the 20th pitcher to achieve 3,000 strikeouts, his Hall of Fame resume is already complete. MLB ALL-STAR GAME ROSTERS: Check out the full teams for Midsummer Classic Kershaw is one of five Dodgers who will be at the All-Star Game, joining Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the most by any team. The first-place Detroit Tigers (Tarik Skubal, Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene and Javier Baez) and the Seattle Mariners (Cal Raleigh, Bryan Woo, Julio Rodriguez and Andres Muñoz) have the second-most representatives with four All-Stars apiece. There are 19 first-time All Stars, including 21 players who are 26 years old are younger, with 22-year-old James Wood of the Washington Nationals being the youngest. Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, 23, is the youngest AL player, and joins his father, Jack, as the first father-son duo to be selected as All-Star shortstops, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Shane Smith is not only the first Chicago White Sox rookie pitcher to make the All-Star team, but also becomes only the second player to be a Rule 5 Draft pick and make the All-Star team the following season, joining Miami Marlins infielder Dan Uggla in 2006. Texas Rangers starter Jacob deGrom, the two-time Cy Young award winner and a candidate to win his third, is returning to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2021. He's 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA and his 101⅓ innings pitches are the most he's accumulated since 2021. There, of course, are plenty of players who were snubbed, well at least initially considering there are about a dozen players added before the July 15 All-Star Game with injuries and pitching limits. St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray, Astros starter Framber Valdez, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer, Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, Phillies starter Ranger Suarez and Rays third baseman Junior Caminero were among the omissions. Other snubs included Orioles infielden Jackson Holliday, Astros reliever Bryan Abreu, Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez, Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson, Angels shortstop Zach Neto, Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and Cubs catcher Carson Kelly. San Francisco Giants DH Rafael Devers may have gotten robbed of an All-Star selection simply by being traded last month from the Boston Red Sox. Devers entered the day hitting .262 with 17 homers, 67 RBI and an .866 OPS, but his numbers paled in comparison to Shohei Ohtani (30 homers, 56 RBI, 1.002 OPS) and Kyle Schwarber (27 homers, 62 RBI, .922 OPS), who were the top two picks on the players' ballot. The players ballot, which also included managers and coaches, once again provided intrigue. They voted for Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña to be the starter, which went to Wilson in the fan balloting. They also voted for Jonathan Aranda of the Tampa Bay Rays to be the starting first baseman instead of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays. While Freeman is the NL's starting first baseman, the players wanted New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who easily won their vote. Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. received the most fan votes, despite not making his season debut until May 23, but finished only fifth in the player balloting. Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton wasn't chosen by the fans, but he received the second-most votes from AL outfielders by the players, behind only Yankees MVP Aaron Judge. In the NL, the players voted Padres setup reliever Jason Adam to the All-Star team, but not teammate Robert Suarez, the Padres closer, who is tied for the MLB lead with 24 saves. San Francisco Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez received the most votes among NL relievers, followed by Edwin Diaz of the Mets. In the AL, Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman received the most votes ahead of Josh Hader of the Houston Astros, who has been perfect in 25 save situations. The AL All-Stars selected by the players: The NL All-Star chosen by the players: MLB made six selections in each league to fill out their roster, and to assure that every club was represented. In the AL, Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm and Witt, of the Royals were chosen, along with pitchers Kris Bubic of the Royals, Yusei Kikuchi of the Los Angeles Angels, Woo and Smith. In the NL, MLB chose 34-year-old Cubs starter Matthew Boyd for his first All-Star Game, also with starters Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers, Robbie Ray of the Giants and Yamamoto. It also selected first baseman Matt Olson of Atlanta and Kyle Stowers of the Miami Marlins. While Tarik Skubal should easily be the choice to start the All-Star Game for the AL, it will be a fascinating decision for NL manager Dave Roberts of the Dodgers to choose between Zach Wheeler of the Phillies and Skenes of the Pirates. Wheeler threw a one-hit complete game Sunday, retiring 27 of the 28 batters he faced with 12 strikeouts while Skenes leads the NL in ERA (2.03) and opponent's batting average (.182). Skenes told reporters he'd love to start again after having the honor in last year's All-Star Game as a rookie, but most of all, would love to sit down and chat with Skubal, who is 10-2 with a 2.02 ERA this season, with 148 strikeouts in 116 innings 'It would be cool, he said. 'More than anything, I want to get him off to the side and ask him how he does what he does, basically. I've talked with him a little bit, but to see him do it again, at an even higher level than he did last year arguably, it's pretty dang cool.' Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
