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Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes are arguably the best two pitchers in Major League Baseball, but they'll take part in some strange history this week.
Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates are arguably the two best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball today. In fact, Skubal has won back-to-back American League Cy Young awards, while Skenes won his first in the National League in 2025.
For each of the past two years, the two of them have started the All-Star Game for their respective leagues. They always have a chance to make history each time they take the mound.
However, on Thursday and Friday, they are expected to take part in some history, albeit for another team. The Milwaukee Brewers will have faced them back-to-back days. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, the Brewers will become the first team in baseball to achieve this.
“The Pirates set their weekend probables, and it’s Paul Skenes on Friday, as expected,” McCalvy posted on X. “So, the Brewers are set to become the second team to tangle with the reigning Cy Young Award winners in back-to-back games — and the first to do it on back-to-back days.”
The Pirates set their weekend probables, and it’s Paul Skenes on Friday, as expected. So the Brewers are set to become the second team to tangle with the reigning Cy Young Award winners in back-to-back games — and the first to do it on back-to-back days.
According to McCalvy, the Boston Red Sox faced Skubal last year in Detroit and had an off-day the next day before returning home to face Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale, who was the NL Cy Young winner in 2024.
Boston was the first team to ever do it in back-to-back games, and on Friday, the Brewers will likely be the second barring a last-minute change. But to do so on back-to-back days is almost unheard of.
This is not exactly the best timing for the Brewers. Their lineup is without Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio. However, this is still some very interesting history that both Skenes and Skubal are taking part in. They are already among the best pitchers in baseball history, but they have a chance to make even more impressive history.
Once again, this is not an ideal situation for the Brewers, even though they have some solid pieces offensively. Without some of their key pieces, this becomes even harder.
Normally, it would take an offense as potent as that of the Los Angeles Dodgers in order to beat both Skenes and Skubal on back-to-back days, but it’s the Brewers who are facing that difficult task.
It will be interesting to see how the Brewers fare. They are more familiar with the Pirates, given that they are division rivals, so they have more experience facing Skenes.
Good or bad, this is going to be a big test for the Brewers, and one that can build character for the rest of the season. Milwaukee has won three consecutive NL Central titles and has been able to fly under the radar.
Beating two Cy Young winners would certainly be a major accomplishment as the 2026 season progresses and they try to get back to the top of the NL Central. There is a lot to look forward to in these games, but facing two Cy Youngs back-to-back is a hard task.
Curt Bishop Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who has written for various outlets including Heavy Sports, Sports Illustrated, FanSided, The Sporting News, Newsweek and Yardbarker. His work entails mostly breaking and trending news with a concentration on Major League Baseball (MLB). Curt graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a bachelor's degree in communications with a focus on emerging and new media, as well as a music minor. More about Curt Bishop
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