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Detroit Tigers Lefty Tarik Skubal Joins Illustrious Team History with Cy Young Win

The lefty was the most dominant arm in the American League, earning the unanimous Cy Young Award win.

Brady Farkas

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) celebrates after a double play against Cleveland Guardians in the sixth inning of Game 2 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) celebrates after a double play against Cleveland Guardians in the sixth inning of Game 2 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal joined some illustrious team history on Wednesday by earning his first-ever American League Cy Young Award victory.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Tigers pitchers have won 6 Cy Youngs:

2024 Tarik Skubal (unanimous)
2013 Max Scherzer
2011 Justin Verlander (unanimous)
1984 Willie Hernandez
1969 Denny McLain
1968 Denny McLain (unanimous)

Considering Verlander and Scherzer will both be Hall of Famers, that's great company to be in. It was a magical year for Skubal, who went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA, helping lead the Tigers to a surprise trip to the playoffs. They beat the Houston Astros in the American League wild card round before losing to the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series.

Skubal won the Triple Crown in the American League, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts (228). His 228 strikeouts were actually the most in baseball. Chris Sale won the National League version of the award.

A five-year veteran, all with the Tigers, Skubal has always had talent. This year, he also had great health. After making just 15 starts in 2023, he made 31 this season, throwing in 192.0 innings.

The Tigers figure to be major players in the offseason, so it remains to be seen if Skubal will get additional help atop the rotation. The Tigers have also been linked to big-name position players like Alex Bregman, who was managed by AJ Hinch in Houston.

Detroit finished third in the American League Central this past season, finishing behind the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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