Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal become first pitching duo in over a decade to claim AL & NL Triple crowns since Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw
For the first time since Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw in 2011, Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal became the first pitching pair to win the American League and National League Triple Crowns in the same season.
Sale and Skubal led their leagues in wins, ERA, and strikeouts on their way to being voted as their respective league's Cy Young Awardees.
"This was just the fourth time since ERA became official in 1912 that pitchers from both leagues won the Triple Crown in the same season. Congrats to southpaws Tarik Skubal and Chris Sale on taking home their first Cy Young Awards!" - @ MLB Network
Chris Sale claimed his first Cy Young in his first year with the Atlanta Braves. The injury-embattled pitcher posted an impressive 18-3 record with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts across 177 2/3 innings.
Sale also became the fifth-oldest Cy Young winner at 35 years and 184 days (the last day of the regular season age). He also made history by becoming the first player with the longest Top 5 Cy Young finish before winning his first. Sale surpassed Gerrit Cole by finishing in the Top 5 of the award six times before eventually winning one.
As for Tarik Skubal, the young flamethrower established himself as the prime pitcher in the Detroit Tigers' unorthodox pitching crew. Skubal was voted as the unanimous AL Cy Young winner after a stellar season wherein he tallied an 18-4 record with a 2.39 ERA and an MLB-leading 228 strikeouts across 192 innings.
Skubal became just the ninth pitcher in AL history to win the award unanimously. He also happened to be the only other player to win a Baseball Writers Association of America Award on his birthday with the other being Roy Campanella who the NL MVP on his 32nd birthday.
Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal makes history for lefties
Approximately, left-handed people make up 10% of the world's population. In 2023, only 26% of the innings pitched were completed by left-handers. This makes the possibility of dual lefty Cy Young winners very slim.
However, Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal made history this year by being just the third pair of lefty Cy Young winners after Barry Zito and Randy Johnson in 2002 and Steve Carlton and Sparky Lyle in 1977. A historic feat for what is considered a rarity in the modern game.