Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal have a lot in common: left-handed, pitching Triple Crown winners, former Tommy John surgery patients. And now the first Cy Young Award recipients.

Sale’s comeback season with the Atlanta Braves ended with National League honors and received 26 of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, finishing ahead of Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler, who received the other four .

Detroit Tigers ace Skubal won the American League award unanimously, with Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals finishing a distant second in the voting.

It was only the third time two left-handers won Cy Young honors in the same season, with Steve Carlton and Sparky Lyle winning in 1977 and Randy Johnson and Barry Zito in 2002.

Sale, 35, finished 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts, leading the National League in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He and Skubal were the first pitchers to win the Triple Crown in a full season since Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander did it in 2011 (Shane Bieber did it in the COVID-shortened 2020 season).

Sale’s resurgence has been a stunner since last decade, when he was one of the best starting pitchers in the sport. He has battled a series of injuries since 2019, including Tommy John surgery in March 2020.

“To be able to show my sons the hard work, dedication and not giving up. My wife had my back the whole time. I’m sure I was really peachy at times during those injuries,” Sale said. “I was talking to my dad the other day and whether it happened or not, he was proud of me.”

From 2020 to 2023, Sale made just 31 starts, although 20 of those came with the Boston Red Sox last season. The Braves took a chance and acquired him in an offseason trade.

“The most important thing is health,” Sale said. “I was healthy earlier in my career and was able to have some success and stay on the field. I’ve run into a buzzsaw over the last few years. I just couldn’t stay healthy, couldn’t stay on the field, and You don’t do anything if you don’t is on the field.”

He responded with a season that resembled his best years with the White Sox and Red Sox from 2012 to 2018, when he received Cy Young votes all seven seasons — finishing second, third, fourth, fifth (twice) and sixth ( twice). . He was tied with Mike Mussina and Nolan Ryan for most top-five finishes (6) without winning.

Sale made his most starts in 2024 and threw his most innings since 2017, not missing a start until the final week of the season, when he was scratched in a crucial season-ending series against the New York Mets due to back spasms and subsequently missed. the Braves’ wild-card loss to the San Diego Padres.

Along the way, Sale won his last eight decisions as the Braves won a wild card, overcoming a disappointing first half, making a late run and clinching a playoff spot on the final day of the season. The Braves went 12-2 over Sale’s last 14 starts, with Sale posting a 1.93 ERA.

Not only did he lead the NL in the Triple Crown categories, but he also led in ERA+, fewest home runs allowed per nine innings (0.5), strikeout rate (32.1%), and most strikeouts per nine (11, 4). He led the majors in FanGraphs WAR (6.4), while ranking third behind Skubal and Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene in Baseball-Reference WAR (6.2).

Sale is the Braves’ first Cy Young winner since Tom Glavine won for a second time in 1998, and his ERA was the lowest for a Braves left-hander in the expansion era (since 1961).

With his signature, unorthodox weapon delivery, Sale’s stuff has lost none of his prime, despite all the injuries. He averaged 94.8 mph on his fastball and batters hit just .171 with one home run in 280 at-bats from his slider.

“It’s special and I appreciate it,” Sale said. “It wasn’t just me rolling out there and throwing the baseball. There were a lot of people who got me here: teammates, family, training staff. If I was going to go out there and do what I could, I would.” I couldn’t have done it without them. The last few years have been tough, so I’m very grateful to go through what I’ve been through with the support I’ve received.”

Skubal, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Thursday, had the breakthrough season that many saw coming after the second half of the 2023 season. He finished 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts. He was certainly the team MVP for the surprising Tigers, who enjoyed a historic surge in the final seven weeks of the season to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

“It was a lot of fun to be a part of,” Skubal said. “The last two months of our season and even the postseason were very special. The memories and the experience will obviously help our club move forward and I am happy that we were able to experience this as a team and as a young team.”

Skubal, who underwent Tommy John surgery in college at Seattle University, was a ninth-round pick of the Tigers in 2018, but he quickly rose through the minors and reached the majors in 2020. After a solid rookie season in 2021, he struggled him with injuries. in 2022 and ’23, but last season he posted a 2.80 ERA in 15 starts, including 2.15 in his last 10 appearances.

That continued into 2024. Skubal won his first six decisions, posted a 1.80 ERA and made his first All-Star team. With the Tigers below .500 as the trade deadline approached, Skubal’s name was mentioned in trade rumors, but the Tigers kept him – although they traded Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

An unlikely run to the postseason followed. The Tigers were 55-63 on August 10, but have gone 31-13 in their last 44 games. Skubal went 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA over that stretch, including two 2-1 wins.

His ERA was the lowest for a qualified Detroit starter since Mark Fidrych in 1976 and he becomes the Tigers’ first Cy Young winner since Max Scherzer in 2013. Verlander, Willie Hernandez and Denny McLain (twice) also won the award with Detroit .

Skubal has a five-pitch repertoire, and his four-seam fastball averaged 96.8 mph and ranked in the 99th percentile of all pitchers in Statcast run value. He mixes a changeup, sinker, slider and knuckle curveball. Overall, batters hit just .201 against him with a .558 OPS.

“It’s special,” Skubal said. “All the hard work, all the work that goes on behind the scenes, moments like this make it extremely rewarding.”