Cy Young Spotlight Shines Brightly On Red Sox Ace

Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet and Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers are locked in a Cy Young race that looks destined to run to the season’s final week.

Crochet has transformed Boston’s rotation in his first year with the club, posting a 13-5 record, 2.43 ERA, 196 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP across 159 innings.

Skubal, last season’s winner, counters with an 11-3 record, 2.42 ERA, 190 strikeouts and a 0.87 WHIP for Detroit. The numbers are nearly identical, leaving little separation between two of the American League’s most dominant arms.

Boston pitching coach Andrew Bailey has watched Crochet’s rise closely.

“Obviously that would be a huge honor for Garrett and a reflection of his ability to just dominate lineups,” Bailey told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Crochet’s steady mix of durability and strikeout ability has made him the frontline starter the Red Sox expected to get when they acquired him.

“There’s a fire in him that you just don’t know when you sign someone or trade for someone,” said Bailey. “You just don’t know the person that you’re getting, the hunger and the want to be great.”

Skubal remains formidable. His blend of efficiency and swing-and-miss stuff carried him to the award last year and has again placed him among the league 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 scheduled to start Tuesday at home against Houston. The spotlight only intensifies as the calendar winds down, with each outing a chance to tilt the race.

Both pitchers have delivered seasons worthy of recognition, but only one will walk away with hardware.