After winning the AL Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the American League for the first time in his career, Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal was showered -- figuratively and literally -- in gifts by his friends and loved ones. Skubal was named the AL Cy Young Award winner in a unanimous decision that coincided with his 28th birthday on Wednesday.
Celebrating the occasion with his loved ones, Skubal was first surprised by his wife, Jessica, with a brand new car. Then Skubal's friends celebrated with him by dousing him in champagne in a series of surprises shared by Major League Baseball.
Tarik Skubal's wife surprised him with a new car for his birthday
— MLB (@MLB) November 21, 2024
His friends surprised him with ... pic.twitter.com/2ZmWm6fkPr
Skubal received all 30 first-place votes for the AL Cy Young Award, doing so after a season in which he had a 2.39 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over 192 innings alongside a 228:35 K:BB while earning a Triple Crown in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Skubal also earned All-Star and All-MLB First Team honors for the first time in his career.
Skubal is the fifth player in Tigers history to win the Cy Young Award and third in the last 14 years, joining a group that includes Denny McLain (1968-69), Willie Hernandez (1984), Justin Verlander (2011) and Max Scherzer (2013).
