Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale, in the National League, and Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal, in the American League, won the Cy-Young trophy on Wednesday.
In his first season with the Braves, Sale led the NL in wins (18), strikeouts (225) and earned run average (2.38). He also won his first Gold Glove this year.
He became the first pitcher to win the NL Triple Crown since Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011.
“It means a lot. It’s a special night, said Sale, who has been slowed by a series of injuries in recent seasons. I can’t express how grateful I am to everyone who has supported me. It would have been easy to jump ship and cast myself aside. »
Sale received 26 of 30 first-place votes. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler finished second and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates was third, two days after being named NL rookie of the year.
Skubal, who turned 28 on Wednesday, was 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 31 starts this season.
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal
He was the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown in the American since Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians in 2020.
“All the hard work, everything that goes on behind the scenes, moments like this make it so worth it,” Skubal said.
Skubal snagged all 30 first-place votes.
“There’s only one happy team at the end of the year, but it was a lot of fun to be a part of,” Skubal added. These are the memories, and obviously the experience will help our club move forward.
“So it was really fun, and I’m glad we were able to experience that as a team, especially as a young team as well, so it’s only positive going forward.” »
