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    • Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers, a finalist for the 2024 AL Cy Young Award
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    Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers, a finalist for the 2024 AL Cy Young Award

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    Detroit Tigers clumsy Tarik Skubal was named a finalist for the 2024 American League Cy Young Award.

    Skubal is one of three finalists as voted by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The other finalists: Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Lugo and the Cleveland Guardians, right-handed Emmanuel Classes.

    The winner will be announced at 6:00 PM on November 20th on MLB Network.

    “He’s been everything to us,” manager AJ Hinch said Monday on MLB Network. “When you needed someone to deliver a big performance, he was our guy. When you needed someone to punch someone to get us out of an inning, he was our guy. When you needed someone to show incredible competitive drive, he was our guy, we leaned on him for so much leadership and dominant performance and he delivered in every way.”

    BEFORE THE SEASON: How Tarik Skubal has matured into an Opening Day ace with Cy Young potential

    Skubal, who also turns 28 on Nov. 20, posted a 2.39 ERA with 35 walks (4.7% walk rate) and 228 strikeouts (30.3% strikeout rate) in 192 innings in 31 starts in the 2024 season, establishing himself as the top pitcher. in baseball. His 5.9 fWAR led his AL pitchers.

    Of the three finalists, Skubal is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award. He ranks second in innings pitched (behind Lugo), second in ERA (behind Clase), first in strikeout rate, second in walk rate (behind Clase) and first in fWAR.

    Skubal plans to win the award unanimously, which would mean getting all 30 first-place votes — two from each AL city — from BBWAA members.

    “When you put that year together, I remember one or two starts where he wasn’t at his best, and that’s about it,” Hinch said. “He was the definition of dominant for our team and around the league.”

    SKIPPER: AJ Hinch of the Tigers is a contender for the 2024 AL Manager of the Year award

    Skubal made the All-Star Game for the first time in his five-year MLB career, although he did not start the Midsummer Classic because AL manager Bruce Bochy chose the right-hander for the Baltimore Orioles. Corbin Burns instead.

    He too won the AL pitching Triple Crownleading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228). He was the first pitcher to do so since then Shane Bieber in 2020, as well as the first of a 162-game season since then Justin Verlander in 2011. Skubal just missed winning the Triple Crown for both leagues as a lefty for the Atlanta Braves Chris Sale he beat him in ERA with a 2.38 mark.

    (MUST LISTEN: Do what “Roaring Days” your starting point Detroit Tigers podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) )

    “I see two things with Tarik,” Hinch said. “One, I see an incredible presence. When he steps out on the mound, the whole team thinks we’re going to win that day. Two, he’s going to dominate the strike zone. We’re talking about first-pitch hits and we’re talking about hitting two strikes quickly and kicking away. Gets soft contact, gets swing and misses, but isn’t afraid to challenge strikes in the strike zone and still wins the battle.”

    LOCAL AWARD: Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal won the 2024 Tiger of the Year

    Skubal’s 2.39 ERA ranked second-lowest by a Tigers pitcher in the franchise’s last 50 seasons, trailing only him. Mark Fidrych (2.34 ERA) in 1976.

    Four pitchers in Tigers history have won the Cy Young Award, which was first awarded in 1956: Denny McLain (1968, 1969), Willie Hernandez (1984), Verlander (2011) and Max Scherzer (2013).

    The Tigers selected Skubal in the ninth round, 255th overall, in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Seattle University. Here are Skubal’s draft day AL Cy Young winners: Blake Snell in 2018, Verlander in 2019, Bieber in 2020, Robbie Ray in 2021, Verlander in 2022 and Gerrit Cole in 2023.

    Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.

    Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Roaring Days” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And watch all our podcasts and daily voice briefings at freep.com/podcasts.

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