In 1889, Hall of Famer John Clarkson had one of the best pitching seasons ever by WAR. He won the Triple Crown with a 2.73 ERA, 284 strikeouts, and a win-loss record of 49-19. He also threw 620 innings, the most in the league and a total that represented more than half the combined workload of his team’s entire pitching staff. Although no one knew it at the time, his retroactively calculated ERA- was 64 and his FIP- was 82; both of those rates led the league among qualified pitchers. If the Cy Young award had existed in the National League at that time, he almost certainly would have been the recipient.

In 2025, Tarik Skubal had a dominant season. He didn’t repeat his Triple Crown achievement from 2024, but his ERA and strikeout numbers both improved from the prior year. His 195 1/3 innings were tied for fourth in the majors, and his 54 ERA- and 58 FIP- not only led among all qualified AL pitchers, but also significantly exceeded Clarkson’s 1889 performance. Skubal’s performance was more than good enough for him to win his second consecutive Cy Young award.

Clarkson’s pitching WAR was 10.9; Skubal’s was 6.6. Whose season did more to bolster his Hall of Fame case? Read the rest of this entry »