A month ago, it appeared almost a foregone conclusion that Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal would run away with the American League Cy Young award. As the final month of the regular season nears, however, the race has opened up, thanks to a brilliant summer from Boston Red Sox star Garrett Crochet.
Crochet wasn’t charged with a loss throughout June and July, going 8–0 with 86 strikeouts and 18 earned runs in a 10-start span over those two months. He’s been no slouch in August, either, going 2–1 with 32 strikeouts and just four walks with nine earned runs in four starts.
At this point, there appears to be just two true contenders for the award, as Skubal and Crochet have effectively separated themselves from the pack. While Paul Skenes has virtually locked up the NL Cy Young, something many thought Skubal had done by the end of June, Crochet's dominance has him making a late push to prevent the Tigers lefty from becoming the first pitcher since Jacob deGrom in 2018–19 to win consecutive Cy Youngs.
Skubal's latest start only furthered Crochet's case for the Cy Young, too. Despite striking out 12, Skubal was tagged for six runs against the Athletics after surrendering a grand slam to Shea Langeliers. Though only one of those runs went down in the scorebook as an earned run due to an error earlier in the inning, it was the most runs Skubal has allowed in an outing all season, and the fourth time this month he's surrendered three or more runs.
Meanwhile, Crochet's last start on Saturday saw him fan 11 batters while surrendering just one run against the rival Yankees. It was the fourth time in his last five starts he'd allowed two or fewer runs, and the third time in that span he'd recorded double digit strikeouts.
On the year, both pitchers have outstanding and nearly identical numbers across the board. Skubal has a slight statistical edge, with a superior walk rate (3.9% versus Crochet's 6.3%) and higher WAR figures.
Crochet's 166 1/3 innings are his career high in innings pitched, and he's already well beyond his previous high of 146. He'll be in unfamiliar territory as he approaches the 200 innings mark, though that's a threshold Skubal has also not yet reached in his career. Considering Crochet was a reliever as recently as 2023, the fact that he leads MLB in innings pitched, albeit by the narrowest of margins over Skubal, is a testament to how quickly he's transitioned into his new role and developed into a top-tier starting pitcher.
The final month of the regular season will be critical for both pitchers to make their case as the American League's best pitcher. Neither of the two candidates boast very much experience pitching this deep into a season, and they'll both be under more pressure as they gear up to lead their respective teams into the postseason.
At this point, Skubal is still in the lead to win his second consecutive Cy Young. But a race that seemed like it may be wrapped up in the earlier part of the summer is once again wide open. Crochet is very much a contender to win his first Cy Young. If he continues to pitch at his current level, there's a real chance he could overtake Skubal by season's end.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as AL Cy Young Race: Garrett Crochet Is Just About Even With Tarik Skubal.