GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Following a magical late-season charge to the playoffs, two Tigers are aiming for American League honors: Tarik Skubal and A.J. Hinch.
Both were named as one of three finalists: Skubal for the Cy Young Award, given to the league’s best pitcher, and Hinch for Manager of the Year.
Neither nomination should come as a surprise. Skubal was arguably the best pitcher in baseball all season and is considered the overwhelming favorite for the AL award. Last week, the team also announced that local beat writers unanimously voted Skubal as the “Tiger of the Year.”
Skubal went 18-4 with a 2.39 earned run average, 228 strikeouts and a 0.92 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched). That is the best ERA and strikeout totals in the American League and the second-best WHIP behind only Seattle’s Logan Gilbert (0.89).
According to the team, Skubal’s 18 wins are the most by a Tiger since Max Scherzer hit that mark in 2014. His ERA is the lowest by a qualifying starter since Mark Fidrych posted a 2.34 ERA in his legendary rookie run in 1976.
The other two AL Cy Young finalists also hail from the AL Central. Skubal will compete with Kansas City’s Seth Lugo and Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase for the award.
Hinch, meanwhile, is being recognized for leading the team’s second-half surge. On Aug. 10, the Tigers were 55-63 and 10 games out of a playoff spot. Two weeks earlier, the team had traded away several key players, including ace Jack Flaherty, to stock up on future prospects. Instead of giving up on the season, Hinch and the Tigers became the hottest team in baseball.
From there, the Tigers went 31-13 to secure a wild card spot, with Hinch using “pitching chaos” to use a bevy of relievers to patch holes in a depleted starters rotation. Then, they were able to beat Hinch’s former team, the Houston Astros, in the wild card round to advance to the American League Division Series, where they lost the best-of-five series to Cleveland 3-2.
Hinch would be the first Tiger to win Manager of the Year since Jim Leyland took the award in 2006. Sparky Anderson also won it in 1984 and 1987.
The winner of Manager of the Year will be announced on Nov. 19. The Cy Young Award will be given out on Nov. 20. Both ceremonies will be carried live on MLB Network.