Paul Skenes ends Cy Young season with sensational outing against Reds

Take a bow, Paul Skenes.

Making his final start of the 2025 season, LSU legend and national champion Paul Skenes put together a dominating performance against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. The outing puts a bow on his sensational campaign, which has him as the overwhelming favorite to take home the National League Cy Young Award.

Skenes tossed six scoreless innings against the Reds while allowing just four hits. He racked up seven strikeouts without issuing a single walk, and ended the season with a 1.31 ERA through four September starts.

On the season, Skenes wraps up his first full season at the big league level with a 1.97 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through 187.2 innings of work. His 216 strikeouts are the most among a Pirates right-hander in franchise history, and ranks sixth all-time among Pirates pitchers in a single season. It was an unbelievable sophomore campaign for the hard-throwing right-hander, who has cemented himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball through just 55 career starts.

Skenes makes history in 2025 season

According to MLB.com, Skenes is now the first qualified pitcher (minimum 1 IP per team game) to end the regular season with an ERA under 2.00 since Justin Verlander in 2022 (1.75). Since 2014, only seven qualified pitchers have posted a sub-2.00 ERA.

Skenes is the first Pirates pitcher to accomplish the feat in the live ball era (since 1920), and the 52nd player in MLB history to do so. Furthermore, he is just the fourth pitcher to post a sub-2.00 ERA in his age-23 season or younger, and the first since Dwight Gooden in 1985.

Speaking with The New York Post, Skenes played off his statistical achievements after his final 2025 outing.

"It’s cool. I don’t come into the year with any numerical goals or anything like that, any stat goals, but it’s a product of doing what you’re supposed to — probably could have been lower, probably could have been higher, whatever. … Pretty cool."

Paul Skenes

Skenes already has an NL Rookie of the Year honor to his name, as well as a pair of All-Star starts. Soon, he can add an NL Cy Young Award to his trophy case.