Tigers Reunite Verlander with 5-Time Cy Young Winner Skubal

Baseball's most decorated pitchers are joining forces in Detroit, and history shows this combination is incredibly rare.

Three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander signed a one-year deal to return to the Detroit Tigers, where he'll team up with Tarik Skubal, the reigning two-time AL Cy Young winner. Only 23 pitchers have ever won multiple Cy Young Awards since the honor began in 1956, making this pairing genuinely exceptional.

The Tigers will become just the 11th team in MLB history to have two multiple Cy Young winners on their roster at the same time. For Verlander, who spent his first 13 seasons in Detroit and won the 2011 AL Cy Young Award there, it's a homecoming with historic significance.

This reunion brings together different generations of pitching greatness. Verlander, now in his early 40s, brings veteran leadership and championship experience, while 28-year-old Skubal represents the future of the franchise after dominating the league in back-to-back seasons.

The Bright Side

While elite pitching duos sound like championship guarantees, history tells a surprising story. Only two of the previous 10 teams with multiple multi-time Cy Young winners actually won the World Series together. The 2023 Rangers were the first to accomplish this feat, and the 2025 Dodgers just became the second with Clayton Kershaw and Blake Snell.

That doesn't diminish what this means for Detroit fans. The Tigers made an unexpected playoff run last season, and adding Verlander signals the team's commitment to building something special. Young players will learn from a future Hall of Famer who's won championships and knows what it takes to succeed in October.

The move also represents baseball doing something right. In an era of constant player movement and corporate team building, there's something genuinely heartwarming about a legendary pitcher choosing to end his career where it began. Verlander could have chased bigger contracts or warmer weather, but he chose Detroit.

For a city that's weathered tough economic times and stuck with their team through rebuilding years, this feels like validation. The Tigers are building something worth coming home to.

Baseball's rarest pitching combination is heading to Detroit, and whether or not they win a championship, they've already given their fans something special to believe in.