Michael Busch came back with another today. And this one was against a lefty. Not just any lefty, mind you, but one of the very best left-handed starting pitchers in baseball, Cristopher Sanchez. That is a very, VERY good sign.
Paul Skenes, Pirates Despite strong competition from Sánchez and Yamamoto, Skenes very well figures to win his first career Cy Young Award after a third-place finish. Skenes built off an impressive NL Rookie of the Year campaign to sport a 1.97 ERA that led the Majors. Skenes became the first qualified pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA since Justin Verlander in 2022. Skenes' 216 strikeouts set a career high and were second-most in the NL.