Paul

Skenes

“I got shown the tweet and got some texts about it. Didn’t think much about it,” Skenes said on his Cy Young conference call. “I’m on the Pirates. My goal is to win with the Pirates.” Skenes is under team control through 2028, and the Pirates have made it clear he won’t be traded this winter. “The way that fans see us outside of Pittsburgh, we’re not supposed to win,” Skenes said. “There are 29 fan bases that expect us to lose. I want to be a part of the 26 guys that change that.”

As expected, it was a landslide, with the right-hander taking all 30 first-place votes. Cristopher Sánchez received all 30 second-place votes, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto finished third. Skenes finished with a win-loss record of just 10-10, but voters saw through it with a 1.97 ERA, 216/42 K/BB over his 187 2/3 innings with the Pirates. It’s the second time a player has won the award a year after winning the Cy Young, joining Doc Gooden. He’ll deservedly be one of the first pitchers off the board come 2026.

Despite rumors swirling around the Tigers trying to trade Skubal away due to failed contract negotiations, Nightengale reports that “The Tigers will at least listen on Skubal, but would have to be completely overwhelmed.” However, with Skubal making it clear that he won’t sign an extension with any team that trades for him, it’s unlikely anybody will make a sizable offer for the left-hander. As far as Skenes goes, “The Pirates won’t even listen to trade proposals for Skenes, so don’t bother calling.”

Skenes represents the overwhelming favorite to capture his second consecutive Cy Young Award after leading the majors with microscopic 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 216/42 K/BB ratio across 187 2/3 innings over 32 starts. Yamamoto has already collected some hardware this postseason, earning World Series MVP honors after a historic Fall Classic performance. The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 201/59 K/BB ratio across 173 2/3 innings in 30 regular-season starts, then followed it up with a 1.45 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 33/6 K/BB ratio over 36 2/3 postseason innings. Sánchez represents the dark-horse candidate despite continuing to establish himself among the National League’s elite arms with a 2.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 212/44 K/BB ratio across 202 innings over 32 starts. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 12.

Skenes put the finishing touches on what will soon be his first Cy Young winning campaign and ironically, was unable to come out with a victory despite not allowing a run. It was the 16th time this season he allowed two runs or fewer and didn’t earn the win. Alas, he mixed his deep repertoire beautifully and forced nine swings-and-misses with his fastball mostly at the top of the zone. He’ll end his first full season with a sterling 1.97 ERA and 216 strikeouts over 187 2/3 innings. That was somehow good for a 10-10 record.

Skenes was lifted after allowing a pair of two-out baserunners in the fourth inning after throwing 92 pitches (58 strikes) in the abbreviated outing. The 23-year-old struggled uncharacteristically with his control, handing out three free passes. He also gave up seven hard-hit batted ball events with exit velocities over 100 mph, including a leadoff homer to Michael Busch. It was an extremely rare clunker for one of the most consistent aces in the fantasy landscape. He’ll aim to rebound early next week when he faces off against the Reds in what could potentially be his final start of the season.

Skenes spun another gem, silencing Baltimore’s lineup for five frames while yielding just two hits and lowering his ERA to a sparkling 1.92 across 178 innings over 30 starts. The 23-year-old flamethrower struck out eight and threw 64 pitches (43 for strikes) before being lifted early as Pittsburgh continues to protect his workload down the stretch. It was the sort of abbreviated masterpiece that managed to be both overpowering and incomplete — dominance defined as much by what we didn’t see as by what we did. He’ll square off against the Cubs on Monday in his next start.

Had this one been played in Dodger Stadium, Skenes would have given up homers to Dalton Rushing in the third and Freddie Freeman in the sixth, says Statcast. Fortunately, though, it was a home start at PNC Park. Skenes improved to 6-4 with a 1.54 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP in Pittsburgh this year. He has a somewhat more human 2.43 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP on the road. Skenes’ next start figures to come Wednesday in Baltimore.

Skenes gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out six. The win was his ninth of the year. The 23-year-old right-hander has recorded at least six strikeouts in nine of his last 10 games. Skenes has a 2.05 ERA and 187/38 K/BB ratio in 167 innings this year. He’s lined up to face the Dodgers at home next week.

Skenes struck out seven and walked none in his longest outing since early June. It’s the ninth time this year that he’s allowed no runs, and he also has two more in which he allowed just one unearned run. The win moves him to 8-9 with a 2.07 ERA. He’s now made 50 career starts with a 2.02 ERA and a 351/69 K/BB in 294 innings. No. 51 will be his first in Boston against the Red Sox.