Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes wins National League Cy Young Award
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes won the 2025 National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez finished second, while Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto finished third. Skenes received all 30 first-place votes, becoming the first NL pitcher to win the award unanimously since the Miami Marlins' Sandy Alcantara in 2022.
Skenes is the first player in four decades to win Rookie of the Year one year and Cy Young the next. The 23-year-old right-hander is also the first pitcher to win the Cy Young with a record of .500 or worse.
After a sensational rookie season, Skenes delivered on the hype in Year 2. He finished the 2025 season with a 10-10 record and an ERA of 1.97, 216 strikeouts, and 42 walks in 187 2/3 innings over 32 starts. Skenes' historic second season featured becoming the first Pirate in the history of the live ball era to finish the season with an ERA of under 2.
Skenes, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft out of LSU, was named Baseball Digest Pitcher of the Year and started his second straight All-Star Game for the NL in 2025.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarek Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award.
The awards are voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Pirates Cy Young history
Skenes is the third Pirate to win a Cy Young. Vern Law won in 1960, and Doug Drabek won in 1990.