Pirates' Paul Skenes edged by Chris Sale for NL Cy Young Award

Shortly after capturing National League Rookie of the Year honors Monday, Paul Skenes weighed in on Wednesday’s Cy Young Award reveal, for which he was also a finalist.

“I have a feeling (Atlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Chris) Sale’s got it pretty locked up,” Skenes told reporters on a conference call. “So it’s cool to be a finalist for sure. But the year he had was unbelievable, and he did it for a full year. So (I’m) definitely looking forward to next year.”

The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie’s instincts were sound as Sale indeed captured NL Cy Young honors, awarded by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and announced on MLB Network.

Sale, 35, a seven-time former Cy Young finalist and the American League runner-up in 2017, enjoyed a 2024 campaign that was as resurgent as it was dominant.

Over 29 starts in his first season with the Braves, Sale went 18-3, leading baseball in wins and with a 2.38 ERA, winning NL Comeback Player of the Year honors.

With 225 strikeouts, Sale won the NL Triple Crown.

Zack Wheeler (16-7, 2.57 ERA) of the Philadelphia Phillies was the other NL finalist, finishing as runner-up.

The Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal (18-4, 2.39 ERA) won the AL Cy Young.

Skenes garnered one second-place Cy Young vote (from David Brandt of the Associated Press) and 13 third-place tallies, placing third behind Sale and Wheeler.

Sale won with 26 first-place votes, with Wheeler claiming four first-place and 25 second-place votes.

“I’ve watched both of these guys, and I think I model a lot of what I do after, to be honest, both of them, and so it’s an honor,” Skenes said on MLB Network shortly before Sale was announced as the winner.

Skenes, the BBWAA and Baseball Digest’s NL rookie of the year, started 23 games for the Pirates after being called up to the big leagues in mid-May, going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA.

Dominant for the entirety of his four-and-a-half-month rookie season, Skenes started the 2024 All-Star Game for the NL, becoming the first rookie since 1995 and first Pirates pitcher since 1975 to do so.

For Skenes, being called up to the Pirates on May 11 did not cost him when it came time to choose the All-Star roster over the summer.

Nor did it ultimately matter when rookie of the year honors were handed out.

However, Skenes’ shortened campaign almost certainly was a deciding factor for BBWAA voters when his overall numbers were stacked next to those of Sale and Wheeler, veterans who have played a combined 24 MLB seasons.

For Skenes, being right there in the mix for one of the most prestigious awards in baseball despite an abbreviated big-league debut only adds fuel to his desire to get right back in the mix in 2025, following, presumably, a full year.

“I think the biggest thing is going to be proving it over a full season next year, also,” Skenes said. “If nothing else, it’s going to be a challenge and an opportunity to kind of prove it again next year.

“… But it’s cool for one to be in the same conversation as (Sale and Wheeler). But, again, it’s doing it for a full year next year and, hopefully, seeking out that challenge and continuing to execute at a very high level.”