E-Paper
Pirates’ Paul Skenes makes history, wins Cy Young Award in just his second MLB season
Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes won the Cy Young Award in only his second season, becoming one of the youngest ever to have this honor.
Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes received the NL Cy Young Award for the 2025 MLB season. Having enjoyed a good season last year, the 23-year-old shines again in the latest season, becoming the fifth-youngest pitcher to claim this award, as per MLB.com.
Paul Skenes wins Cy Young Award
This is an exceptional achievement, as Skenes was named the Rookie of the Year for his debut season last year and has followed it with a Cy Young Award-winning season. His stats tell the story of his success in this year’s campaign.
Skenes recorded a 1.97 ERA, striking out 216 batters over 187 2/3 innings in the past season. He also had a 0.95 WHIP and a strikeout-minus-walk rate of 23.7 percent.
It gets even better as his ERA was the lowest for a Pirate in the Live Ball Era, which began in 1920, as per MLB.com. Also, having allowed only four earned runs over the course of his final 33 2/3 innings, Skenes became the first starting pitcher since Bill Burns, in 1908-09, to have an ERA of under 2.00 in both of his first two seasons, the same website informs.
Skenes was the unanimous choice of the Baseball Writers' Association of America for the Cy Young Award. All 30 voters picked him as their first choice for the honor. The choice for the second place was also unanimous, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez, MLB.com reports.
Paul Skenes’ future
Despite his success with the Pirates, MARCA reports that the pitcher is looking to move to the New York Yankees. The website quoted one of his teammates as saying: “Trust me, he wants to play for the Yankees. ... I've heard him say it multiple times.”
Responding to these reports, the general manager of the Pirates, Ben Cherington, said:
“I do dismiss it, but I understand it. ... What we're going to focus on is just how do we win games with him in a Pirates uniform. … I have a ton of respect for the Yankees, but we'll just focus on what we need to do.”
Apart from the Yankees, MARCA reported that Skenes might be interested in the Los Angeles Dodgers, too. With both teams looking to compete for the championship, he would be a great addition to their roster. Only time will tell whether Skenes moves on from the Pirates or not.
Also read: MLB Gold Glove 2025: Yankees duo Max Fried and Ryan McMahon among finalists after stellar defensive displaysFAQs
Who won the Cy Young Award for the National League?
Paul Skenes.
Which team does Skenes represent in the MLB?
Pittsburgh Pirates.
Who won the Cy Young Award for the American League this year?
Tarik Skubal.
