Former Air Force Falcon, Paul Skenes Named 2025 NL Cy Young Award Winner
11/12/2025 6:18:00 PM | Baseball
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo., - Former Air Force Falcon, Paul Skenes, earned the 2025 National League Cy Young Award, as voted on and released on Wednesday night, by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). This marks the Pirates' first Cy Young Award winner in 35 years.
Despite a 10-10 record for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2025 season, Skenes led starters across the league with an ERA of 1.96 and struck out 216 batters for a franchise single-season record in 187.2 innings.
In 2024, Skenes was named the NL Rookie of the Year after entering the MLB as the number one overall pick by Pittsburgh in the 2023 draft and became the second Pirate to be honored as Rookie of the Year, following his electric lead-off season.
Skenes was a cornerstone of Air Force baseball during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, serving as team captain in 2022 and earning Team MVP honors in back-to-back years. The Lake Forest, Calif., native was named the 2022 Mountain West Co-Pitcher of the Year after posting a conference-best 2.40 ERA and setting a program record with seven Mountain West victories. That same season, Skenes played a pivotal role in leading the Falcons to their first Mountain West Championship and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1969, excelling both on the mound and behind the plate.
During his tenure at Air Force, Skenes proved to be one of the most dominant two-way players in program history. Across 112.2 innings on the mound, Skenes struck out 126 batters, earned 11 wins, and posted a 2.72 career ERA. Equally impressive at the plate, he batted .367 with 31 doubles and 24 home runs, finishing with a career slugging percentage of .669.
Skenes' remarkable performance garnered national recognition, earning him three All-America honors, the 2022 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award, and the 2021 Mountain West Freshman of the Year distinction. He was also a two-time Academic All-Mountain West selection, exemplifying excellence both on the field and in the classroom.
Despite a 10-10 record for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2025 season, Skenes led starters across the league with an ERA of 1.96 and struck out 216 batters for a franchise single-season record in 187.2 innings.
In 2024, Skenes was named the NL Rookie of the Year after entering the MLB as the number one overall pick by Pittsburgh in the 2023 draft and became the second Pirate to be honored as Rookie of the Year, following his electric lead-off season.
Skenes was a cornerstone of Air Force baseball during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, serving as team captain in 2022 and earning Team MVP honors in back-to-back years. The Lake Forest, Calif., native was named the 2022 Mountain West Co-Pitcher of the Year after posting a conference-best 2.40 ERA and setting a program record with seven Mountain West victories. That same season, Skenes played a pivotal role in leading the Falcons to their first Mountain West Championship and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1969, excelling both on the mound and behind the plate.
During his tenure at Air Force, Skenes proved to be one of the most dominant two-way players in program history. Across 112.2 innings on the mound, Skenes struck out 126 batters, earned 11 wins, and posted a 2.72 career ERA. Equally impressive at the plate, he batted .367 with 31 doubles and 24 home runs, finishing with a career slugging percentage of .669.
Skenes' remarkable performance garnered national recognition, earning him three All-America honors, the 2022 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award, and the 2021 Mountain West Freshman of the Year distinction. He was also a two-time Academic All-Mountain West selection, exemplifying excellence both on the field and in the classroom.
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