'Chris Sale of the Braves and Tarik Skubal of the Tigers Win Cy Young Awards'

Chris Sale, a member of the Atlanta Braves, and Tarik Skubal, who plays for the Detroit Tigers, both had exceptional seasons and were awarded the Cy Young Awards for their respective leagues on Wednesday night by Major League Baseball.

Both left-handed pitchers achieved the pitching Triple Crown, with Sale leading the National League in wins, strikeouts, and earned-run average, and Skubal, who was unanimously voted for the award, repeating the same feat in the American League.

This is the first time either player has won the Cy Young Award.

Sale was chosen over fellow National League finalists Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes. Sale received 26 first-place votes and four for second, totaling 198 points in the voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Wheeler came in second with 130 points (four firsts, 25 seconds, one fourth), and Skenes, the NL Rookie of the Year, was third with 53 points (one second, 13 thirds, three fourths). The remaining votes went to Dylan Cease of the Padres (45), Shota Imanaga of the Cubs (38), Logan Webb of the Giants (18).

Skubal, who received all 30 first-place votes, earned 210 points in the American League voting, beating out finalists Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals (93 points) and Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanual Clase (66 points). The remaining votes went to Cole Ragans of the Royals (48), Corbin Burnes of the Orioles (47), Logan Gilbert of the Mariners (25), Framber Valdez of the Astros (17), Kirby Yates of the Rangers (two), Yusei Kikuchi of the Astros (one), and Cade Smith of the Guardians (one).

Sale, 35, has been in the running for the Cy Young Award multiple times, finishing as the runner-up in 2017 and placing in the top six in voting for seven consecutive seasons from 2012-2018.

This award is the ultimate achievement for Sale, who missed the entire 2020 season due to Tommy John surgery and was limited to just 11 starts in 2021 and 2022 due to injuries. After a lackluster 2023 season with the Boston Red Sox, where he went 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA, he was traded to the Braves on December 30th, 2023, along with cash for infielder Vaughn Grissom.

In his first season with the Braves, Sale finished with an impressive 18-3 record and a 2.38 ERA. Over 29 starts and 177 2/3 innings, he struck out 225 batters and walked 39, giving up only nine home runs. He was also named the NL Comeback Player of the Year last week.

Unfortunately, Sale's season ended on a sour note as a back injury prevented him from pitching in the postseason.

Throughout his career with the Chicago White Sox (2010-2016), Red Sox (2017-2023), and Braves, Sale has a record of 138-83 with a 3.04 ERA and 2,414 strikeouts in 372 appearances (292 starts).

As for Skubal, he received the award on his 28th birthday. Drafted in the ninth round by the Tigers in 2018, he made his debut in 2020. In 31 starts this season, he finished with a record of 18-4 and an impressive 2.39 ERA, striking out 228 batters and walking 35 over 192 innings.

In the postseason, he had a record of 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA in three starts.

Over his career, Skubal has made 106 regular-season appearances (103 starts) and has a record of 41-31 with a 3.37 ERA. He has also recorded 648 strikeouts in 571 1/3 innings.

Sale is the first Atlanta pitcher to win the Cy Young Award since Tom Glavine won for the second time in 1998, which marked the end of a dominant decade for Braves pitchers. During that time, Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz combined for six Cy Young Awards in eight seasons.

Skubal is the third Tigers pitcher in the 2000s to receive the award, following in the footsteps of Justin Verlander (2011) and Max Scherzer (2013).