Garrett Crochet's Nightmare Outing Shakes Up Early AL Cy Young Race

The American League Cy Young award has gone to Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in each of the last two seasons. Last season, Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet put up a solid fight, but the award still went to Skubal without much friction.

This year, those two headlined the list of top candidates in the AL. It seemed like it was going to be another race between Skubal and Crochet, though Bryan Woo, Max Fried, and Jacob deGrom could all steal the award by the year's end.

But Crochet's odds of bringing home the award recently took a huge hit.

Garrett Crochet's 10 ER outing makes Cy Young race complicated

Apr 13, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

On Monday, Crochet allowed nine hits, 10 earned runs, two home runs, and three walks across 1 2/3 innings. While one outing shouldn't crush a pitcher's season, an outing like this will have a huge impact on Crochet's Cy Young chances. To win a Cy Young, a pitcher needs to be dominant for most of the year. There's not much room for error. The addition of 10 earned runs on his season stat line is going to crush his stats.

Last season, Crochet held a 2.59 ERA by allowing 59 earned runs over 205 1/3 innings. His ERA would have been 3.09 if his earned run total had been increased by 10. An outing with 10 earned runs is the difference of half a run on the ERA over the course of 200 innings. When Crochet is chasing Skubal, he can't afford a game like this.

Tarik Skubal is in position to win third consecutive AL Cy Young award

Apr 12, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

As a result, Skubal is in the driver's seat for another Cy Young award this season, which would mark his third consecutive award as he heads into free agency at the end of the year.

Skubal is 2-2 on the year with a 2.22 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings. He seemingly hasn't found his stride yet either. Skubal has posted a sub-1.00 WHIP in three consecutive seasons and looks to make it four with this season.

Fried has also looked spectacular this season, holding a 1.93 ERA across 28 innings. Fried was dominant last season, too. Jose Soriano is off to the hottest start of any pitcher in the league. He's surrendered one earned run in 27 innings this season.

The AL Cy Young race is already heating up early in the year. Skubal is in the driver's seat. Crochet is going to need to be other-worldly dominant if he wants to make a run at the award. There are plenty of other options, too.

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