Lead
Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers has been named the 2025 American League Cy Young Award winner for the second consecutive season, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) announced. Ballots were submitted before postseason play and Skubal finished with 26 first-place votes and 198 points under the BBWAA 7-4-3-2-1 scoring system. Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox placed second with four first-place votes and 132 points; Houston’s Hunter Brown was third with 80 points. The result makes Skubal the 23rd pitcher to win multiple Cy Young awards and the fifth in the AL to win back-to-back.
Key Takeaways
- Tarik Skubal (LHP, Detroit Tigers) won the 2025 AL Cy Young for the second straight year, receiving 26 of 30 first-place votes and totaling 198 points.
- Garrett Crochet (Boston Red Sox) finished second with four first-place votes and 132 points; Hunter Brown (Houston Astros) placed third with 80 points.
- Skubal is the 23rd multi-time Cy Young winner and joins a historical list that includes Clemens, Johnson, Maddux, Maddux-era winners and modern-era multiple winners.
- He is the fifth AL pitcher to capture consecutive Cy Young Awards and only the second to do so while with the Tigers, joining Denny McLain (1968–69).
- It is the seventh Cy Young honor for a Detroit pitcher overall, adding to awards won by Denny McLain, Justin Verlander (2011), Max Scherzer (2013) and Willie Hernández (1984).
- Skubal and Crochet were the only pitchers named on every one of the 30 submitted ballots (two writers from each American League city).
- Ballots were tabulated on the BBWAA system that awards seven points for a first-place vote, four for second, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth.
Background
The Cy Young Award, presented annually by the BBWAA, recognizes the top pitchers in each league based on regular-season performance. Winning consecutive Cy Young Awards is rare; across major-league history only a handful of pitchers have done so, and even fewer have won multiple times overall. That context elevates Skubal’s consecutive win beyond a single-season achievement and places him among an elite group of repeat winners.
The Detroit Tigers’ rotation has been a focal point for the franchise since Justin Verlander’s 2011 award and the later Scherzer era; Skubal’s back-to-back recognition represents the latest high-water mark. For the BBWAA vote itself, each of the 30 ballots from accredited writers in American League cities lists five pitchers; points are summed to produce the official standings published by the association.
Main Event
The BBWAA released the 2025 AL Cy Young results after tabulating 30 ballots from two accredited writers in each AL city. Skubal finished with 26 first-place votes and 198 total points; Crochet earned four first-place votes and 132 points. Hunter Brown of the Astros placed third with 80 points, followed by Max Fried and Bryan Woo with lower totals.
Ballots were completed and turned in before postseason games started, a detail the BBWAA emphasizes to note that playoff performance did not influence voting. The tabulation method uses weighted points—7 through 1 for places one through five—so a large number of high-place appearances (firsts and seconds) produces the highest totals; Skubal’s combination of 26 firsts and four seconds secured a clear margin.
The BBWAA also published the full individual-ballot breakdown, showing city-level representation and how writers ordered their top five. That listing demonstrates both broad support for Skubal across the league’s markets and differing evaluations that gave Crochet notable second-place strength and Brown a large number of third-place finishes.
Analysis & Implications
Skubal’s repeat award confirms sustained elite performance across two full regular seasons as judged by national beat writers. In modern baseball, where pitcher usage, analytics, and injury risk complicate year-to-year consistency, consecutive Cy Young honors highlight durability as well as quality. For Detroit, the recognition underscores the club’s ability to develop or acquire frontline rotation pieces that can anchor a staff.
On a league scale, Skubal joining the list of multi-time winners reinforces the small pool of pitchers who dominate across seasons. Historically, multiple winners include long-tenured aces and Hall of Famers; while this award alone does not determine long-term legacy, it materially improves Skubal’s standing in evaluative conversations about elite pitchers of his era.
From a roster and business perspective, back-to-back awards can affect future contract discussions, arbitration leverage, and trade-market valuations. While club and agent negotiations depend on many variables (service time, contract status, injury risk), two straight Cy Young seasons will strengthen Skubal’s bargaining position and increase external interest should Detroit ever entertain offers.
Comparison & Data
| Pitcher | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarik Skubal (DET) | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 198 |
| Garrett Crochet (BOS) | 4 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 132 |
| Hunter Brown (HOU) | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 80 |
| Max Fried (NYY) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 3 | 61 |
| Bryan Woo (SEA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 26 |
The table above summarizes the top five finishers and how the 30 ballots translated into points under the BBWAA scoring method. Detailed per-ballot entries show the consistency of Skubal and Crochet’s placement across different regional writers, while Brown accumulated many third-place listings that produced a solid points total.
Reactions & Quotes
BBWAA published the official vote totals and ballot breakdown, showing Skubal’s 26 first-place nods and the full city-by-city ballots.
BBWAA (official vote release)
The Tigers organization marked Skubal’s second straight Cy Young as a franchise milestone and praised his contributions to the rotation.
Detroit Tigers (club statement)
National beat writers highlighted how Skubal’s back-to-back recognition reflects both sustained performance and league-wide respect among voters.
National baseball press coverage (summary)
Unconfirmed
- Any internal club discussions about Skubal’s contract or potential trade interest have not been publicly disclosed and remain unconfirmed.
- Long-term Hall of Fame implications from a consecutive two-year Cy Young run are speculative and depend on future seasons and career totals.
- Individual voter rationales beyond the published ballots (written explanations) have not been released for each ballot and are therefore not fully known.
Bottom Line
Tarik Skubal’s consecutive AL Cy Young Awards mark a significant personal and franchise achievement. The BBWAA ballot totals—26 first-place votes and 198 points—show broad, league-wide recognition from the writers who cover the American League. That level of consensus is rare and places Skubal among a short list of repeat or multi-time Cy Young winners.
For Detroit, the award validates the club’s pitching development and enhances Skubal’s profile in contract and legacy conversations. While postseason performance and future seasons will shape how his career is ultimately viewed, two straight Cy Young Awards firmly establish Skubal as one of the AL’s premier pitchers in this period.