Fastball

Paul Skenes Makes Baseball History with Cy Young Finalist Selection

After making his debut in early May, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie showed his incredible potential.

Brady Farkas

Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Mitch Keller (left) and Paul Skenes (right) look on from the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers during the eighth inning at PNC Park. The Brewers won 7-2 in 2024.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Mitch Keller (left) and Paul Skenes (right) look on from the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers during the eighth inning at PNC Park. The Brewers won 7-2 in 2024. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes was named a finalist for the National League Cy Young Award on Monday night. He's joined as a finalist by Chris Sale (Braves) and Zack Wheeler (Phillies).

Though Sale is widely expected to capture the award, it's a historic accomplishment for Skenes, who just finished up his rookie year.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com on social media:

Paul Skenes is the 5th rookie to finish top-3 for Cy Young, joining:

2013 Jose Fernandez, 3rd NL
1984 Dwight Gooden, 2nd NL
1981 Fernando Valenzuela, 1st NL
1976 Mark Fidrych, 2nd AL

h/t @EliasSports

Skenes finished his rookie season at 11-3 with that 1.96 ERA. He struck out 170 batters in just 133.0 innings and looked every bit the part of an ace moving into 2025. The former No. 1 pick in the draft (2023), Skenes made his major league debut in early May after just a handful of minor league starts With Skenes and Jared Jones, the Pirates and their fans finally look to have some optimism moving forward.

Armed with an upper-90s fastball and his power "splinker," Skenes also earned the start for the National League in the All-Star Game.

In addition to being a finalist for the Cy Young, Skenes is also a finalist for the Rookie of the Year Award in the National League. He'll battle with Jackson Merrill (Padres) and Jackson Cho

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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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