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  Jesse RogersNov 12, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

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  Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.

Editor’s note: This story originally published on Aug. 19, 2025. Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal are both finalists for the 2025 Cy Young awards to be announced on Nov. 12, 2025.

Both of MLB’s 2025 Cy Young favorites came from humble pitching beginnings. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes started his meteoric rise to stardom at the Air Force Academy, while Detroit Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal came of age at Seattle University. Neither place screams baseball immortality, but both pitchers could be flirting with historic achievements for the rest of their careers provided they stay healthy.

Skenes was the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, while Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award last season — and their paths recently crossed as the 2025 All-Star Game starting pitchers in Atlanta. As they head down the stretch with the opportunity to collect more hardware this season, ESPN asked their teammates, team personnel and Skubal and Skenes themselves what makes the two best pitchers in the sport so special.

“Really advanced stuff and fill up the strike zone; they go right at guys,” Tigers starter Casey Mize said, summing up the feelings of those who have watched both aces. “So, they’re in advantageous counts a lot, applying a lot of pressure. The biggest thing to worry about is getting jumped early in counts, so they have to be good early on. But it feels like when they get strike one, the at-bat is over.”

‘He’s a guy that you can talk to when he’s starting’

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The similarities between the two pitchers begin with the vibe they generate throughout the stadium when it’s their turn to pitch. There’s a different feeling in the clubhouse on a Skenes or Skubal day because of how games play out when they’re on the mound.

“You just know the other team isn’t going to do very much,” Tigers infielder Zach McKinstry said when it’s a Skubal day. “Defense is kind of boring that game.”

As a smiling teammate Spencer Torkelson added, “You can almost be blindfolded playing behind him.”

Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham has his own way of recognizing when Pittsburgh’s ace is pitching. It begins when Pham gets dressed to come to the park.

“He wears a suit to the field, so I started trying to keep up with him on ‘Skenes Day,'” Pham said. “I call out Skenes Day by wearing a suit with him so he’s not the only one.

“And we normally don’t need to score a lot of runs that day.”

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Despite Skenes’ formal attire and nasty stuff, it stands out to his teammates that Skenes is still approachable when it is his day to take the mound.

“He’s a guy that you can talk to when he’s starting,” Pham stated. “I’ve played with guys, when they’re starting, you can’t talk to them, which I feel is bulls—. But he’s not like that.”

Skubal exhibits that trait, as well, according to Detroit infielder Zach McKinstry. Skubal will talk to teammates like it’s any other game.

The confidence in each pitcher’s crafts allows for a normal day, according to the players in both locker rooms.

The Tigers also get an extra jolt of energy during their pennant race as they play meaningful games down the stretch: Comerica Park comes alive when their ace takes the mound.

“Every jersey you see is a No. 29 jersey,” McKinstry said. “They love him. And he loves what he does. And we love to play behind him.”

‘We play a defensive position, but he makes it look like offense’

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If there is one difference between Skubal and Skenes, it is that Skubal is in attack mode more than anyone in the league. He leads MLB in throwing his first pitch for a strike at 70% of the time. Overall, he throws strikes 55% of the time — good for third most in baseball.

Being in the zone so often is one reason Skubal is third in the majors in innings pitched this season, after finishing eighth in that category last season.

“When it gets to those later innings, you do feel like he has a chance to go the distance,” Tigers reliever Will Vest said. “It’s because he’s so efficient with his pitches.”

Skubal has pitched at least seven innings in 10 starts this season, including his signature outing: a 13-strikeout shutout against the Cleveland Guardians on May 25. That performance still resonates in the Tigers’ clubhouse three months later, especially after his last pitch registered at 103 mph.

“The aggressiveness,” Mize explained. “We play a defensive position, but he makes it look like offense. He’s going at everybody. He doesn’t care. That game illustrated that.”

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Skenes, on the other hand, ranks 33rd in first-strike percentage (62.1) with a full arsenal that allows him to attack hitters differently.

“He has a larger tool box,” Pirates assistant pitching coach Brent Strom said. “It enables him to have weapons against different types of hitters. He pitches to his strengths.”

According to Baseball Savant, Skenes has thrown seven different types of pitches this season — as compared with Skubal’s five — and Skenes’ swinging-strike percentage ranks seventh. It all adds up to a pitch mix that keeps hitters baffled, even when they get pitches to hit.

“It’s full-on ‘here it is, hit it,'” Pirates catcher Joey Bart said. “He’s not scared of anyone.”

‘Everything is by the numbers, and he leaves nothing to chance’

Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images

Every player, no matter the position, has a routine to prepare for competition. But Skenes is especially unique in that regard.

One day, between starts, Pham asked to stand in the batter’s box while Skenes threw a bullpen session.

“Then the next day, I asked who’s throwing a pen because I needed to test out my contact lenses again,” Pham explained. “And Skenes says, ‘Hey, I’m throwing a pen.'”

Pham gave him a confused look, knowing Skenes had thrown the day before.

“He’s like, ‘Yeah, I throw every day, except for the day before my start,'” Pham recalled. “When I found that out, I was like, yeah, he’s different. I’ve never seen anybody do that.”

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Strom noted that not every bullpen session is built the same. There’s purpose to the preparation.

“His work is very organized,” Strom said. “Very thoughtful. Everything is by the numbers, and he leaves nothing to chance. He’s very cerebral. He understands what’s necessary.”

Bart recalled Skenes’ early days with the club after getting called up in May 2024. The catcher recognized the detailed preparation of the former LSU star even then, including how Skenes readied for his very first outing against the Chicago Cubs.

“I remember the first pregame meeting last year,” Bart said. “He ran the meeting in his debut. I was like, ‘Go ahead and take it, dude. You got it.’ He has been groomed for this.”

That kind of intense and directed preparedness has gained attention and admiration around the league, and it is what Skubal identified as Skenes’ most impressive trait.

“He seems like he has his routine and preparation already figured out at a young age,” Skubal said. “It took me until I was 26 to be a good big league baseball player and figure that out. And he’s doing it at 23. That’s four years faster than me. Yeah, that’s really impressive.”

‘He just wants to show that there is something memorable about greatness’

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There’s an aura of self-assuredness to Skubal that stands out as compared with even other aces, according to those around him. He has been called a “bulldog” with a “killer” mentality by his teammates: He won’t back down, no matter the circumstance.

“He comes after you,” Torkelson said. “In big situations, he trusts his best stuff. You kind of know what you’re going to get, and it’s still hard to hit.”

That confidence enables Skubal to put himself in pitcher’s counts (0-1, 0-2, 1-2, 2-2) 45.7% of the time, more than any other hurler in the game, according to ESPN Research. And until you show you can hit one of his best offers, he’ll just keep throwing it. He has 93 strikeouts on his changeup, second only to Philadelphia Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez.

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That mindset is what stands out most about Skubal to Skenes.

“He can go after hitters straight up,” Skenes said. “He gets them out quickly, which is why he pitches deep in games. He does that better than anyone else in the game. But it starts with going right at them. That takes confidence.”

Skubal has a commanding presence, according to Tigers play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti. It doesn’t hurt that his size (6-foot-3 and 240 pounds) naturally creates some intimidation when he is on the mound, but he makes himself known whenever he is in the game.

“On the day the All-Stars were announced last year, the Tigers were in Cincinnati, and he struck out [Elly] De La Cruz and there was this big primal scream — and that’s this indelible memory for me,” Benetti said of Skubal. “Because that is a guy that people hear about that there’s noise about, and he wants that.

“He ends innings and outings at 102 mph because he just wants to show that there is something memorable about greatness, is the way I would put it. He has greatness.”

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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes says he will not discuss his future with anyone until after next year’s World Cup.

The 31-year-old will make his 300th appearance for United on Saturday, as the club attempt to end a run of three successive home defeats by Brighton.

It is an achievement made more remarkable by the fact that Fernandes has missed just 17 games since his £47m move from Sporting in January 2020 – and only three of those were because of injury or illness.

The Portuguese rejected a huge offer from Al-Hilal in the summer, then dismissed subsequent interest elsewhere from the Saudi Pro League and Europe.

Fernandes knows the rumours about his future won’t go away.

Sources close to him have previously told BBC Sport he has no wish to move to Saudi Arabia next summer either, with major European clubs outside the Premier League holding more interest.

It is understood Fernandes’ contract – which expires in 2027 with the option of an additional year – includes a clause that would allow him to join a club outside England for £56.68m (€65m) provided it is triggered early enough.

However, Fernandes is not interested in talking about it just yet.

“As I’ve always said, I feel good here. I want to achieve my dreams still,” he said.

“I can’t talk for the club. I’ve seen a lot of people talking that I had an agreement to go already next season. If the club has done that agreement, it wasn’t made with me. I haven’t spoken with anyone.

“My agent also knows how I work. If he wants to talk to me, it will be after the World Cup. Until then, I won’t speak to anyone.”

Fernandes spoke to a lot of people when Al-Hilal’s interest first became public during United’s post-season trip to Asia.

Conversations with chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox, plus head coach Ruben Amorim, Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo – who plays in Saudi Arabia – and his family all took place independently.

Everyone accepted the money being talked about, even for one of the Premier League’s highest earners, was eye-watering. The fee, expected to be in excess of £100m, would have been a club record sale.

But no-one was pushing Fernandes out. In fact, Amorim was saying quite the opposite.

“He said to me ‘No, we want more players to help you to become a better team. If we bring some people and lose you, we’re still going to lose something’,” Fernandes said of his manager.

His wife Ana was blunt.

“My family feels very well here,” Fernandes said. “My kids love to go to school. They love the way they live here, even with the weather.

“Everyone is settled. We say sometimes the house we have here, it feels more like home than the one we have in Portugal.

“The first thing she said was: ‘Have you achieved everything you wanted to achieve at the club?’ She knows I haven’t.

“When I talk about not fulfilling my dreams at the club, it comes a lot from what she said to me.”

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There was no chance Marc-Andre Fleury could return for a final game in Pittsburgh without also bringing his pranks back, too.

Fleury, whose skills as a prankster are almost as famous as his skills between the pipes, had No. 29 and flower car decals stuck on his teammates’ cars on Friday while they were all inside at practice. After more than 20 years of his shenanigans, however, no one was that surprised.

“He always finds new ways to come up with new things. I don’t know how he does it,†Sidney Crosby said. “I think itâ€s even more impressive that thereâ€s no proof. It seems like thereâ€s no footage of how he gets away with it. We know itâ€s him, but we donâ€t really have any proof besides the 29 on my door. But other than that, nothing.â€

“When Geno came in screaming, I kind of knew that something was up,†defenceman Kris Letang said with a laugh. “I knew that I wasnâ€t going to be spared.â€

Crosby joked about liking the new decor and decided that perhaps Fleury had taken it easy on the team, as he cited one prank years ago where he had filled conditioning coach Mike Kadar’s car with packing peanuts.

“Seeing him stand on the roof of a car and pile those things into the sunroof will be forever ingrained into my mind,†Crosby said.

Fleury, who retired at the end of last season, played his last period — and shootout — at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday, where he received an emotional farewell and multiple standing ovations from loyal fans who were excited to have him back for one final game.

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Normally, NHL training camp is an all-business kind of affair, and that’s exactly how it’s been at Pittsburgh Penguins’ camp this year.

That is, until a certain Penguins’ legend waltzed into the rink at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa. for practice on Friday.

“Itâ€s been a few years, you know?” said Marc-Andre Fleury – the aforementioned Penguins’ legend – after practice. “But it didnâ€t feel like it. Itâ€s so good to see the guys, obviously, and you guys [the media], and other staff members are still the same… so, definitely very fortunate to be able to come back for a couple days.â€

And players, coaches, and media weren’t the only ones who got to see the 40-year-old goaltender – who officially called it a career at the end of his 2024-25 campaign with the Minnesota Wild – take the ice for one last practice.

Fans showed up in droves. Parking lots were full. There was a line outside of the facility prior to the morning skate that preceded practice. There were cheers every time Fleury made a save and groans every time any one of the Penguins’ players scored on him.

There is so much love between Fleury, his teammates, and the city of Pittsburgh, and it’s a bond that hasn’t faded since 2003 – even with an eight-year absence between now and his last appearance as a Penguin in 2017. Ultimately, the chance to play for that bond one last time is what made him want to do it, even given some initial hesitation after Penguins’ GM and POHO Kyle Dubas approached him about signing the paid tryout (PTO) contract – which he did end up signing on Sept. 12 with the Penguins – at the end of last season.

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“I was like, ‘I donâ€t know, I feel like Iâ€ve said goodbye, like, 17 times already to everybodyâ€, you know?” Fleury said. “I was a little banged up, too, after the season. I wasnâ€t planning on working out or skating.

He continued: “We talked a few weeks back… and I was like, yeah, itâ€d be fun and come in and spend some time with the guys, the staff, and see the fans, you know? I miss them, too. Iâ€m happy it all worked out.â€

It seems, too, that it worked out for just about everyone. Fleury brings an energy to the rink – as he is known to do – that simply just fills a room. It was all smiles for pretty much the entirety of practice, and especially for his longtime pals in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.

“Just trying to enjoy it,” Crosby said. “You know, you [practice with him], like, hundreds of times, a thousand times, and you take it for granted. To get a chance to do that today was a lot of fun.â€

There was even a moment before the main practice when the veterans were all taking turns and shooting pucks in Fleury’s direction five-on-zero in the offensive zone. They kept passing the puck around and trying to get pucks past Fleury, and Crosby was fed a pass in the right circle. He walked in a bit and fired, with Fleury making a barrel save with his toe.

However, Crosby made sure to clear the air with the media post-practice about what happened with the rebound off of Fleury’s toe.

“The one where I batted it out of the air and scored? That’s the one you’re talking about?” Crosby said, smiling. “Yeah, it was a good initial save, for sure.”

The quips didn’t end there, either. They never do with Fleury around, and he got a good one of his own in, too. During the practice session, Fleury had the chance to chat with Penguins’ goaltending prospects Sergei Murashov and Filip Larsson, and when asked what was said and what advice he would give to the young netminders, he remained deadpan.

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“You better try hard because I’m coming to take your spot,” he said in response before cracking a smile and adding that he wished them luck this season.

And what would a visit from Fleury be without a good prank or two? Not only did Fleury put “29” stickers on Letang’s and Crosby’s cars in the parking lot, his son also pranked his own father as well as Malkin prior to practice by placing little wind-up cockroach toys in their equipment.

It’s those little things that make Fleury so endearing to everyone around him. And Crosby hopes that some of the younger players in the locker room can take his demeanor and the way he carries himself – as well as the effort he puts into building relationships – as lessons for themselves.

Even if Fleury is in town for just a few short days, that is.

“I think that just observing someone like that… obviously, everyoneâ€s got to be themselves, you know?” Crosby said. “Itâ€s gonna be hard to be another Marc-Andre Fleury, but I think just seeing the compete that he brings to practice, the enthusiasm, the bond that he has with the guys that heâ€s played with and how unique that that is… thatâ€s a part of our culture, and thatâ€s something that I think is special.

“So, hopefully, they can see that, and just get to meet him, get to know him, and see what a great person he is above and beyond all the stuff that heâ€s accomplished.â€

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Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry said he was “at a loss for words” after his third fumble of the 2025 NFL season contributed to a 38-30 defeat to the Detroit Lions.

“It’s just crazy,” he told reporters. “Three fumbles [in three games] straight. I’m trying every day to fix the problem that just keeps occurring. I’m my worst critic, so I’m not going to try to beat myself up too much. But it’s hard not to when it’s consecutive and consistent [instances] of me doing the same thing.”

Henry also apologized to his teammates, coaches and Ravens fans:

The Ravens trailed the Lions by four points when the five-time Pro Bowler coughed the ball up on his own 21-yard line. Detroit secured the recovery, which set up a 45-yard field goal by Jake Bates to make it a 31-24 game with 6:35 on the clock.

A similar scene played out in Week 1. Henry fumbled in the fourth quarter as the Buffalo Bills were mounting a 15-point comeback en route to a 41-40 win. He was just as contrite on that occasion as well.

Monday’s result was down to more than the costly turnover.

Baltimore’s defense allowed 426 yards to the Lions. The backfield tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 218 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

In the second quarter, the Ravens came away with zero points from a 1st-and-goal at the 3-yard line, and failing to score proved consequential in hindsight.

The offense also had an opportunity to tie the game after Bates’ field goal. A three-and-out put the ball back in the Lions’ hands and they pulled away with Montgomery’s 31-yard touchdown run.

It’s easy to zero in on Henry because he made such an obvious mistake. The Ravens coaches will have plenty to nitpick when they go over the game film.

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