Unanimous! Pirates’ Paul Skenes Wins National League Cy Young
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has won the 2025 National League Cy Young following an excellent second year in the big leagues.
The 23-year-old beat out finalists Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, receiving all 30 first place votes. Skenes became the first National League pitcher to win unanimously since Sandy Alcantara in 2022.
Skenes, who led all Major-League starters with a 1.97 ERA and a 2.36 FIP, finished the season 10-10 and set a Pirates’ franchise record for most strikeouts by a right-handed pitcher in a single-season with 216 in 187.2 innings.
Skenes, who was a finalist for NL Cy Young a year ago, totaled 32 starts with the Pirates this season and held opponents to a .199 batting average, which ranked fourth in the National League.
Skenes finished first in the National League in WHIP (0.95), second in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.14), tied for second in strikeouts, third in quality starts (20), fourth in innings pitched and fifth in walks per nine innings (2.01).
For the second straight year, Skenes started for the National League in the All-Star Game and became the first pitcher to do so in each of his first two big-league seasons.
It’s been a historic start for Skenes’ young career. He became just the third pitcher ever to win Rookie of the Year and Cy Young in his first two seasons. The others are Fernando Valenzuela, who won both with the Dodgers in 1981, and Dwight Gooden, who won Rookie of the Year in 1984 and Cy Young in 1985 for the New York Mets.
Skenes was the winner of the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 after going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA across 23 starts.
This marks the third time a Pirates pitcher has won a Cy Young. Vern Law was the first to do so after going 20-9 with a 3.08 ERA and 18 complete games as part of the World Series champion Pirates in 1960. 30 years later, Doug Drabek won the award after recording a National League-leading 22 wins and posting a 2.76 ERA. Drabek announced that Skenes was this year’s winner on MLB Network.
“Paul is incredibly deserving of the Cy Young Award and all that it represents. His preparation, competitiveness and poise reflect the toughness, heart and pride that define Pittsburgh,” said Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting. “He’s a leader who holds himself to the highest standard and makes everyone around him better.
“Just as meaningful as his performance on the field is his commitment to giving back — especially his support for those who have served, and continue to serve, in our armed forces. We are incredibly proud of Paul and grateful to have someone of his character representing our organization and our city.”
More about: Pirates