Tigers’ Tarik Skubal keeps Cy Young superstition alive in pursuit of three-peat

Athletes are notoriously superstitious people, and baseball players might be the best example of this. There are a lot of stories about baseball players having unique routines before and during the game. For Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal, he has a little superstition that he hopes will net him more awards.

Skubal accepted his 2026 AL Cy Young award today, his second consecutive award. During his acceptance speech, Skubal mentioned that after his first Cy Young award last year, he told manager AJ Hinch, “same time, next year”. Now that they’re back again and are celebrating another Cy Young win, Skubal is already planning his next dinner with his manager.

Tarik Skubal accepted his 2025 AL Cy Young Award on Saturday night.

“After last year’s dinner, I told AJ (Hinch), same time next year,” the Tigers ace said.

“Skip, for the sake of superstition and a three-peat, let’s go ahead and keep the same plan for a year from now.” pic.twitter.com/l7qwU8url3

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) January 25, 2026

Skubal has broken out as one of the most dominant pitchers in the entire league. After flying under the radar in 2023, the Tigers pitcher broke out two years ago as one of the best starters in the league. Skubal finished the 2024 season with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts en route to his first Cy Young award.

This past season, there weren’t any hints of a dropoff from Skubal. He led the American League with a 2.21 ERA and struck out 241 batters. The Tigers made it to the postseason this season and went all the way to the Division Series before losing to the Seattle Mariners. In three games in the postseason, Skubal recorded a 1.74 ERA in 20.2 innings, striking out 36 batters. Skubal nearly won the Cy Young unanimously, with four of the first-place votes going to Garrett Crochet.

In winning the Cy Young this season, Skubal became the first pitcher since Jacob DeGrom to win consecutive Cy Youngs. The Tigers ace is looking to join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers in MLB history to win three consecutive Cy Youngs.

Skubal will join fellow Cy Young winner Paul Skenes in this year’s World Baseball Classic, representing Team USA. Joining them in the pitching staff are names like Mason Miller, Logan Webb, and Clay Holmes.

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