Crochet and Skubal duel for AL Cy Young as season heads into final week
Boston’s Garrett Crochet and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal are locked in a tightly contested American League Cy Young race that could ride all the way to the season’s final week. Both pitchers have dominated the mound this year, with statistics that look almost mirror-like as the calendar winds down.
Crochet, making an impact in his first year with the Red Sox, sits at 13-5 with a 2.43 ERA, 196 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP over 159 innings. Skubal, who won the award last season, counters with an 11-3 record, 2.42 ERA, 190 strikeouts and a 0.87 WHIP for Detroit. The near-identical numbers have helped fuel one of the most intriguing debates in the American League.
Boston pitching coach Andrew Bailey has followed Crochet’s ascent closely and sees in him a blend of durability and elite swing-and-miss ability. “Obviously that would be a huge honor for Garrett and a reflection of his ability to just dominate lineups,” Bailey said, describing Crochet as someone who brings a hunger and fire to every start. “There’s a fire in him that you just don’t know when you sign someone or trade for someone. You just don’t know the person that you’re getting, the hunger and the want to be great.”
Skubal remains formidable. His mix of efficient innings and swinging-and-missing stuff kept him in the running for the award last year and continues to place him among the league’s leaders in ERA and WHIP. Speier noted that “the brilliance of the two left-handers has been comparable, suggesting that the conversation about their Cy Young merits will continue.”
Crochet, who signed a six-year, $170 million extension earlier this year, will take the mound this weekend in New York against the Yankees. Skubal is slated to start Tuesday at home against Houston. With each appearance, the race could tilt in one direction or the other as the stakes rise.
What to watch as the stretch run unfolds:
– Durability and workload: Both have logged heavy innings, and how they handle the late-season grind could be decisive.
– Run support and defense: Small advantages in support can influence win totals and, by extension, the perception of dominance.
– Contention other than the two: While the focus is on Crochet and Skubal, any late surge from a third candidate could muddy the final vote.
Summary: Crochet and Skubal have delivered standout seasons that have fans, analysts and managers circling every start. Their nearly identical numbers fuel a headline-grabbing race that should captivate baseball fans through the final week of the season.
A hopeful note: If this duel continues to stay this tight, it underscores the freshness and depth of both clubs’ rotations, providing optimism for Boston and Detroit as they look to finish strong and build momentum for the postseason push.