On Wednesday, Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale, who won the pitching triple crown (wins, earned run average, strikeouts) in their respective leagues, were named American League and National League Cy Young Award winners.
This was the first time for both of them to receive the award.
Skubal pitched to a 2.39 ERA, and his 228 strikeouts and 18 wins (tied with Sale) were among the best in baseball. He received all 30 American League first-place votes and was unanimously awarded the award on his 28th birthday. Second place was Seth Lugo of the Royals, and third place was Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase with a 0.61 ERA.
It wasn't that long ago that Skubal was a mediocre player. In 2021, he appeared in 31 games and recorded an ERA of 4.34.
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Chris Sale and Tariq Skubal (Imagination)
Last season, he started in 15 games and showed his potential with an ERA of 2.80. But this year, he put it all together to become the ace of a team that made a belated comeback to clinch a postseason berth.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal gestures after hitting a double play in the sixth inning during Game 2 of the American League District Series against the Cleveland Guardians on October 7, 2024 in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
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After a few dominant years at Sale, he started just 31 games between 2020 and 2023, but this year marked a comeback. The 35-year-old pitched 29 times last season and was dominant with MLB's best ERA (2.38) and K/9 (11.4), as well as 225 strikeouts.
Sale received 26 first-place votes, with second-place finisher Zach Wheeler of the Phillies receiving the remaining four votes. National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skeens took third place. This is the first time Sale has won the Cy Young Award, having finished sixth or lower in Cy Young voting from 2012 to 2018.
Sale had already been named the National League Comeback Player of the Year and was named to the All-MLB first team. The Atlanta Braves acquired Vaughn Grissom, who hit .190 in 31 games this season, from the Boston Red Sox for cash and a left-handed pitcher before the 2024 season. All in all, it was a decent trade for Atlanta.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale pitches in the first inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 9, 2024 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scutelli)
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MLB's awards show concludes Thursday, with Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani expected to be named AL and NL MVP after combining for 112 home runs and 274 RBIs.
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