Over two lakh doctors across Maharashtra are on a 24-hour token strike since Thursday 8 am to protest the state medical council’s decision permitting homeopathy practitioners to register after completing a short-term pharmacology course.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) said their delegation met Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) Member of Parliament (MP) Supriya Sule, Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar, and the Principal Secretary of Medical Education, pressing for the immediate withdrawal of the Maharashtra Medical Council’s (MMC) September 11 notification.
MMC is the official regulatory body for medical professionals in Maharashtra, tasked with overseeing registration and ensuring ethical conduct.
The association stated that while emergency services remain functional during the strike, routine outpatient departments (OPDs) in government hospitals across the state have been suspended for the day.
MARD warned that the strike could escalate if the government does not revoke the order within a week.
“We urge the Government to initiate the necessary action within the next seven days, or we may have no other option than to escalate the protest. Updates will be shared by the Central MARD Committee,” the statement said.
The strike, called jointly by MARD, the Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI), Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA), is aimed at opposing the inclusion of homeopathy practitioners in the MMC register. The bodies said the decision “threatens patient safety and undermines allopathic standards.”
Earlier this year, the state government had asked the MMC to register homoeopaths who completed the one-year Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP), enabling them to prescribe allopathic medicines in select cases.
The move was withdrawn after members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Maharashtra, who had threatened to strike on July 11, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and flagged concerns about possible confusion among patients.
However, the government revived the process with a fresh resolution issued on September 5, prompting strong opposition from allopathic practitioners and leading to Wednesday’s 24-hour strike.
In a letter to the CM, the IMA Maharashtra unit had expressed concerns that allowing “inadequately trained” homoeopaths to treat patients may lead to misdiagnosis, adverse drug reactions, and increased antibiotic resistance, particularly in rural areas.
TOKYO — Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone became the first woman in nearly 40 years to crack 48 seconds in the 400 meters, running 47.78 in a historically fast one-lap race at the world championships Thursday.
Pushed by second-place finisher Marileidy Paulino, who clocked a 47.98 of her own on the rain-slickened track in Tokyo, McLaughlin-Levrone captured her first global title in the 400 flat after dominating the hurdles for the past four years.
The second- and third-fastest times in history in this race trail only the 47.60 by East Germany’s Marita Koch, set Oct. 6, 1985 — one of the last remaining vestiges in track from an Eastern Bloc doping system that was exposed years after it ended.
Third-place finisher Salwa Eid Naser clocked 48.19, a time that would have won the past two world championships. Nobody had come within a half-second of Koch’s mark until this race.
“You don’t run something like that without amazing women pushing you to it,” McLaughlin-Levrone said.
When she crossed the line, McLaughlin-Levrone looked over to the clock then put her hands on her head in apparent shock.
In the lead-up to the worlds, she insisted the women needed to think about breaking 48 before they go after what was once thought to be an unapproachable world record.
Now, that record is on shaky footing. A lot will depend on what America’s most accomplished one-lap sprinter decides to do over the next few years. She has broken the 400 hurdles world record six times, most recently at last year’s Olympics, where she lowered it to 50.37 seconds.
Thursday’s race was on the same track where McLaughlin-Levrone set her second hurdles world record at the 2021 Olympics. It was a much different scene this time — with fans in the stands, screaming as she rounded the oval then headed into the home stretch in a tight battle with Paulino that wasn’t in the bag until the last 30 meters.
“At the end of the day, this wasn’t my title to hold onto, it was mine to gain,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “Bobby uses boxing terms all the time. He said, ‘You’ve got to go out there and take the belt. It’s not yours. You’ve got to go earn it.’”
Bobby is Bobby Kersee, the wizardly coach who helped transform McLaughlin-Levrone into the greatest female hurdler ever and might be doing the same in the 400. Brutal training sessions with one-time UCLA quarter-miler Willington Wright were part of the regimen.
“I felt that somebody was going to have to run 47-something to win this,” Kersee told The Associated Press. “She trained for it. She took on the challenge, took on the risk. She’s just an amazing athlete that I can have no complaints about.”
It was McLaughlin-Levrone’s 19th straight victory in a one-lap race — hurdles and flat — dating to June 2023.
“I knew it was going to be a battle down the home stretch, and it was just really about focusing on my lane and kind of trying to stay as relaxed as possible,” she said.
Paulino, meanwhile, was more focused on her unique place in history than not winning the race.
“I’m thankful for having the opportunity to break 48,” she said. “I still feel like a winner. I’ve spent five years every day training for this.”
McLaughlin-Levrone took up the 400 flat in 2023, but injuries derailed her run at a world championship that year. She focused on hurdles last year for her second Olympic gold medal in the event, then came back to the flat for 2025.
“Today was a really great race for track and field, and I’m grateful to put myself in position to bring an exciting event to our sport,” McLaughlin-Levrone said.
It’s still an open question as to whether she will stick around in this race long enough to go after Koch’s record, or return to the hurdles, where the number “50” hangs out there much like “48” did in the race she won Thursday night.
Nobody had thought much about 50 seconds in hurdles until McLaughlin-Levrone started breaking the record in that event on a semi-regular basis. Four years ago at the Olympics, she lowered it to 51.46 in the empty stadium in Tokyo.
She broke it three more times and then, in Paris last year, took it down by another .28 seconds to 50.37.
Over time, those races became mere matters of McLaughlin-Levrone against the clock.
This time, something different – a bona fide showdown for the gold medal that knocked down a once-unthinkable barrier in racing.
Whatever McLaughlin-Levrone’s next move is, it’s bound to be fast.
“I think, now, 47 tells her that she can break 50,” Kersee said. “Knowing her, she’s probably going back to the hurdles and try to take what she learned now in the quarter(-mile) and try to execute a plan to run 49.99 or better.”
China’s Minister of National Defense Dong Jun on Wednesday called for efforts to provide strong support for global governance, and to work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
Dong made the remarks during separate meetings with the defense chiefs of Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Namibia, Rwanda and Senegal, all of whom are in Beijing to attend the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
Extending a warm welcome to the defense chiefs, Dong said that this year’s forum is of historical significance and practical importance.
The Chinese military is ready to carry forward its long-standing friendships with all parties, enhance strategic communication, engage in higher-level security cooperation, and work collaboratively to respond to risks and challenges, he said.
During the meetings, the foreign defense ministers all expressed their willingness to strengthen military cooperation with China.
(Cover: The 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum is being held in Beijing, China, September 17-19, 2025. /CMG)
Video: Passenger flight bound for US flies too close to Air Force One
Passenger flight bound for US flies too close to Air Force One
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Air traffic controllers repeatedly ordered pilots of a Spirit Airlines flight to turn away from Air Force One carrying Donald Trump as it travelled to London.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s fresh allegations of vote manipulation as “baseless,” stating that omissions from voter lists have occurred during Congress regimes as well, reported news agency PTI.
The Republican Party of India (A) chief said, “Rahul Gandhi often makes contradictory statements, sometimes he says voters were added, and other times he claims voter deletions.”
Earlier in the day, Gandhi, who currently serves as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of shielding those responsible for “destroying democracy.” He cited data from a Karnataka Assembly constituency, alleging that votes of Congress supporters were being systematically removed ahead of elections.
In response, Athawale said that names disappearing from electoral rolls is not new and has also occurred under Congress-led governments in the past.
“This problem did not arise during the current government,” said the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment.
The Election Commission has clarified that the names of the voters cannot be deleted online, Athawale said, adding that it is not the case that only the names of those who vote for the Opposition go missing, reported news agency PTI.
If Gandhi has any evidence, he should provide it to the Election Commission, he said, asserting that names are not deleted from voter lists deliberately.
As to Gandhi`s claim that voters from OBC, minority and tribal communities were being deleted, Athawale said it was a divisive tactic meant to create rifts in society.
In Maharashtra, most Dalit votes now go to the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, and tribal and Dalit communities have supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi ever since he came to power, he said.
The BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have chief ministers from the OBC and tribal communities, respectively, while there is a Brahmin chief minister in Rajasthan, said Athawale, himself a prominent Dalit leader from Maharashtra.
“Ghuspaithiya Bachao Yatra”: Amit Shah targets Rahul Gandhi over `Voter Adhikar Yatra`
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday lambasted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the allegation of `vote theft`, calling his `Voter Adhikar Yatra` a “Ghuspaithiya Bachao Yatra” (Save the Infiltrators March).
Interacting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Rohtas, the Union Minister accused the Congress party of ignoring development issues and instead working to protect “illegal infiltrators” from Bangladesh.
Addressing the gathering, Shah said, “They (Congress) spread a false narrative every time. Rahul Gandhi did a Yatra… The topic of his yatra was not vote theft. The topic was not good education, employment, electricity, roads… The topic of the tour was saving the infiltrators who have come from Bangladesh. Have any of you lost their votes?… This was Rahul Gandhi`s `Ghuspaithiya Bachao Yatra`.”
Questioning the relevance of the Congress`s yatra, Shah asked, “Should infiltrators have the right to vote or free rations? Should infiltrators get jobs, houses, treatment up to 5 lakh rupees?… Instead of our youth, this Rahul Baba and company are giving jobs to vote bank infiltrators.”
NFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
After a weekend filled with last-minute wins by the Cowboys, Colts and Bengals, Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season concluded with two exciting “Monday Night Football” showdowns. How did wins for the Buccaneers and Chargers shake up our Power Rankings? We stacked all 32 teams heading into Week 3.
In addition to our rankings, NFL Nation reporters named the No. 1 thing they’ve learned from the starting quarterback — or QB situation in general — this season. Some of those starters will change in the coming weeks as five quarterbacks deal with injuries: the 49ers’ Brock Purdy (toe and left shoulder), the Bengals’ Joe Burrow (toe surgery), the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels (knee), the Jets’ Justin Fields (concussion) and the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy (ankle). Can the backups keep their teams on track? And how have veteran QBs such as Daniel Jones and Geno Smith looked with their new squads so far?
Let’s get right into it with our No. 1-ranked team. (Our power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities evaluates how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32.)
Biggest QB takeaway:Josh Allen continues to embrace he doesn’t have to be Superman
Although it’s sometimes necessary for Allen to put the Bills on his back, he had issues early in his career of trying to do too much on his own. That still comes up sometimes, but the Bills have shown that they don’t have to rely solely on Allen’s arm and legs. That was on display versus the Jets, as Buffalo’s dominant rushing attack led the way. James Cook finished with 132 yards and two touchdowns, and Allen didn’t score in a start for just the eighth time in his NFL career. — Alaina Getzenberg
Biggest QB takeaway:Jalen Hurts continues to do what it takes to win
His passing stats are far from gaudy, as he finished with 101 passing yards Sunday and completed just one pass of 10-plus yards. But Hurts played mostly mistake-free football and again came up with a clutch play when he needed to, this time a deep ball to DeVonta Smith to set up a critical touchdown. He also converted four first downs and scored a touchdown on a tush push. With the win over Kansas City, he improved to 48-20 as a starter during the regular season. — Tim McManus
Biggest QB takeaway:Jordan Love hasn’t found a No. 1 receiver yet
Losing Jayden Reed to a broken collarbone early in the Week 2 win won’t help Love identify a go-to guy. Through two games, tight end Tucker Kraft leads the Packers with eight catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Among the receivers, Dontayvion Wicks leads in catches (six), and Romeo Doubs leads in yards (96). Rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden has just two catches for 16 yards, but Love missed him twice on what could have been big plays against Washington. — Rob Demovsky
Biggest QB takeaway:Lamar Jackson is still a favorite for NFL MVP
The two-time MVP has already put himself in position to win a third award by totaling seven touchdowns and no turnovers. This is the fifth time in the past 20 years that a quarterback reached that mark in the first two weeks. The previous four quarterbacks to achieve it — Peyton Manning (2013), Patrick Mahomes (2018 and 2022) and Jackson (2019) — all went on to win NFL MVP. Now, can Jackson keep it up against a Lions defense that has allowed four touchdown passes and made one interception this season? — Jamison Hensley
Biggest QB takeaway:Jared Goff can still produce at an elite level
It goes without saying that the Lions struggled at Green Bay in the season opener, but Week 2 reminded the world that Goff and the Lions can still be dominant. Goff became the first quarterback in Lions history with an 80% completion percentage and five passing touchdowns in a game, while also passing Bobby Layne (118) for the second-most passing touchdowns in franchise history. If he receives solid protection from an offensive line that’s still adjusting to new players, there shouldn’t be a drop-off for Goff in his 10th NFL season. — Eric Woodyard
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Was Week 1 or 2 a fantasy overreaction for the Lions?
Field Yates, Daniel Dopp and Stephania Bell examine the fantasy performances of the Lions in Week 2.
Biggest QB takeaway:Matthew Stafford‘s back doesn’t appear to be affecting his play
Despite missing a significant portion of training camp with an aggravated disk in his back, Stafford has played well to start the season. Coach Sean McVay said Stafford was “in total command” in the second half of the Rams’ victory over the Titans. And although Stafford didn’t get as much training camp practice time as he had hoped with new wide receiver Davante Adams, the pair showed the chemistry they have built Sunday, connecting six times for 106 yards and a touchdown. — Sarah Barshop
Biggest QB takeaway: Last season was an aberration for Justin Herbert
Herbert began last season with uncharacteristically low passing numbers in his first season with Jim Harbaugh. It wasn’t until Week 6 that he had a game with at least 200 passing yards. Some of his slow start can be attributed to the various injuries he played through. But he threw four interceptions in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Texans, more than he had during the entire regular season. In Week 1, Herbert had one of the best games of his career against the Chiefs, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns, and he threw two more TD passes in Week 2 against the Raiders. With an upgraded offense, he looks poised for a dominant year. — Kris Rhim
Week 2 result: Lost to the Eagles 20-17 Week 2 ranking: 5
Biggest QB takeaway: Patrick Mahomes might have to do it all again
The Chiefs’ support surrounding Mahomes is not ideal, especially at the running back position. Consider this statistic from ESPN Research: Mahomes joined Cam Newton (2020) as the only QBs since 1950 to record twice as many rushing yards as any other player on their team in each of the first two games. Without receiver Rashee Rice for four more games (suspension), Mahomes has essentially had to be a superhero to lead the Chiefs down the field on their four touchdown drives this season. — Nate Taylor
Week 2 result: Lost to the Packers 27-18 Week 2 ranking: 6
Biggest QB takeaway:Jayden Daniels needs to find his rhythm
Daniels has completed 59.7% of his passes in 2025 after completing 69% all of last season. The Packers were unsurprisingly a tough challenge by pressuring him on 46% of his dropbacks, but the Commanders’ pass game has been noticeably out of sync in both games — especially the connection between Daniels and receiver Terry McLaurin. The latter missed most of the spring and all of camp because of a contract situation, costing the duo valuable reps. The second-year QB has a passer rating of only 48.4 and a 53.8% completion percentage when targeting McLaurin, compared with 89.4 and 67.3%, respectively, last season. And Daniels is now dealing with a knee injury, which could keep him out Sunday and prevent him from finding his rhythm sooner. — John Keim
Mayfield’s Week 1 performance was shaky, as he completed 53.1% of his passes against the Falcons. But he made plays with his legs when it mattered most, rushing four times on third down for 39 yards. Then, in the two-minute drill, he found rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka on a 25-yard touchdown pass to grab the final advantage. He did the same in Week 2, leading an 11-play, game-winning drive in the final two minutes. There was no panic. This is what you want from a franchise quarterback and was a trademark of his predecessor, Tom Brady. — Jenna Laine
Biggest QB takeaway: The 49ers can win with Mac Jones under center
When Brock Purdymissed two games with injury in 2024, backups Brandon Allen and Joshua Dobbs posted QBRs of 33.2 and 23.4, respectively, and the 49ers lost both games by a combined 51 points. Before Sunday, a quarterback other than Purdy hadn’t started and won with the 49ers since Jimmy Garoppolo in December 2022. But Jones stepped in against the Saints and posted a 67.2 QBR with three touchdown passes. San Francisco hopes to have Purdy back soon from toe and left shoulder injuries, but its confidence in Jones is for real if Purdy has to miss more time. — Nick Wagoner
Biggest QB takeaway:Jake Browning is good enough to lead the Bengals to the playoffs
In his own words, Browning was “delusional” Sunday. Despite throwing three interceptions, he was unfazed as he led the Bengals on a game-winning drive that was capped by a leap over the goal line. Even though Joe Burrow is expected to be out for at least three months with a turf toe injury, there is immense confidence that Browning can lead the team moving forward. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said there is still a lot of optimism on the team that the offense can be efficient and effective behind Browning, who helped Cincinnati win four games in 2023 while Burrow was out with a wrist injury. — Ben Baby
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Why Stephen A. thinks Bengals can succeed without Joe Burrow
Stephen A. Smith says the Bengals could still be competitive if Joe Burrow returns later this season.
Week 2 result: Lost to the Colts 29-28 Week 2 ranking: 11
Biggest QB takeaway: Defenses might have found a trouble spot for Bo Nix
In polling defensive coaches and personnel executives around the league about what challenges awaited Nix in Year 2, some said teams would try to force Nix to work outside the numbers more and keep him away from his most comfortable throws in the middle of the field. On throws outside the numbers this season, Nix has thrown three interceptions and had another possible pick-six that was dropped. Multiple times there has been a safety lurking behind the receiver in bracketed coverage as well. — Jeff Legwold
Biggest QB takeaway:Daniel Jones is playing with extreme efficiency
No QB is averaging more yards per pass attempt than Jones’ 9.3. That was unexpected for a player who had never averaged more than 6.8 through a single season in his career. He’s doing it in two ways. First, Jones is giving players the ball in position to run after the catch, which they are doing at a high rate (5.5 YAC per reception). Second, Jones was more aggressive Sunday, delivering more intermediate and deep throws despite a heavy blitz rate from Denver. — Stephen Holder
Biggest QB takeaway:Michael Penix Jr. will, at the least, keep the Falcons in games
Penix would have been the star in Week 1 with two fearless, fourth-quarter scrambles on fourth down, the second of which resulted in a go-ahead touchdown. But the Falcons coughed up the lead on defense, and a missed field goal cost them the game. Penix’s stats didn’t light the world on fire in Week 2, but he didn’t turn the ball over and made key third-down completions when they were needed most in front of a hostile Vikings crowd. The second-year quarterback is ninth in the league in success rate (48.6%). — Marc Raimondi
Week 2 result: Lost to the Buccaneers 20-19 Week 2 ranking: 16
Biggest QB takeaway: C.J. Stroud has had growing pains in new OC Nick Caley’s offense
After Week 1, Stroud said his goal through the first few weeks has been to play with more urgency in the new system, which includes getting them set up quicker out of the huddle. In Week 1, the offense had five pre-snap penalties and that contributed to Stroud’s inability to throw a touchdown or lead the offense to the end zone. They got into the end zone (twice) in Week 2, but the offense failed to put up over 270 yards and Stroud admitted “we need more confidence as an offense.” Expect growing pains through the first half of the season. — DJ Bien-Aime
Biggest QB takeaway:Kyler Murray‘s legs will be a big part of the Cardinals’ offensive approach
The question has come up every year Murray has been in the NFL: How much will he run? Through two games, he has shown his legs are still a necessary part of both his game and Arizona’s attack. He has 14 carries for 70 rushing yards this season, just 3 yards shy of running back James Conner and 13 yards behind the team’s leading rusher, Trey Benson. Murray’s ability to create electric runs and flip the field helps set up the passing game, too. — Josh Weinfuss
Biggest QB takeaway:Sam Darnold is capable of playing fast
That figured to be one of the biggest keys for Darnold given his propensity to hold on to the ball. He acknowledged as much upon signing with Seattle, saying a lesson he learned from the disappointing end to his Pro Bowl season with Minnesota was that he has to get the ball out of his hands more quickly. Through two games, Darnold’s average time before throw of 2.66 seconds is tied for ninth-fastest in the league, which has contributed to him being sacked only three times. He ranked 34th last season at 3.08 seconds, and over his first four NFL seasons, he was also 34th at 2.92 seconds. — Brady Henderson
Biggest QB takeaway:Dak Prescott can still move around
Prescott doesn’t run the way he did his first few years or certainly before he suffered a dislocated and fractured ankle in 2020, but he has shown he can move around this season. He might not look to run when escaping harm, but he does enough to get the ball to his playmakers. Prescott did not do much of that last season, and when he tried to do more, he suffered a season-ending hamstring avulsion. “Last year, not running took a toll and honestly why I got hurt,” he said. “From this whole offseason recovery process, it was about getting back to who I am, my game, and understanding how much my legs are a part of my game.” — Todd Archer
Week 2 result: Lost to the Falcons 22-6 Week 2 ranking: 13
Biggest QB takeaway:J.J. McCarthy has a long way to go
McCarthy accounted for three touchdowns in a fourth-quarter comeback during Week 1, but the other seven quarters of his first two starts have been rough. Overall, his QBR (20.1) ranks second worst in the league, and there have been times when he has struggled to make basic plays. He has held the ball an average of 3.15 seconds before throwing, second highest in the NFL, and is tied for second in the league with four turnovers. Coach Kevin O’Connell said McCarthy’s development will be a “process.” But at the outset, at least, it has been a struggle. And it won’t be fixed soon since McCarthy could miss the next two to four weeks with a high ankle sprain. — Kevin Seifert
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Schefter: McCarthy not expected to play against Bengals
Adam Schefter says J.J. McCarthy is not expected to play against the Bengals due to an ankle injury and will likely be replaced by Carson Wentz.
Week 2 result: Lost to the Seahawks 31-17 Week 2 ranking: 15
Biggest QB takeaway:Aaron Rodgers needs better protection from the offensive line
Rodgers has been sacked seven times this season, and although he placed some of the blame for the four in Week 1 on a tight back, the 41-year-old undoubtedly needs to take fewer hits to make it through the remaining slate. Rodgers’ 2.66 seconds is the ninth-quickest time to throw among qualified QBs (minimum of 20 passes). That means he’s either not hanging in the pocket long, and/or the pocket isn’t holding up. Recent first-round picks Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu — along with veteran guard Isaac Seumalo — need to play up to their billing to help Rodgers and the offense get back on track. — Brooke Pryor
Week 2 result: Lost to the Chargers 20-9 Week 2 ranking: 21
Biggest QB takeaway:Geno Smith doesn’t have enough support from the offensive line
Yes, Smith has to improve on his decision-making. He had three interceptions in Week 2’s loss to the Chargers, largely due to him forcing the ball into double coverage. But the Raiders’ first loss also exposed issues within the team’s offensive line. Las Vegas struggled to provide protection, allowing 16 pressures and three sacks. In two games, the Raiders have given up 32 pressures and seven sacks. — Ryan McFadden
Week 2 result: Lost to the Bengals 31-27 Week 2 ranking: 22
Lawrence has been far from perfect — he’s completing only 58.9% of his passes and has thrown three interceptions this season. But Coen has said after each game that Lawrence has run the offense efficiently, changed plays correctly when needed and made throws into tight windows. He has also been hurt by a league-high five drops from his receiving corps. Coen wants to see more consistency from his starting QB, but he also said, “We can win with [Lawrence] playing like that.” — Mike DiRocco
Biggest QB takeaway:Drake Maye went back into the lab to improve accuracy
After an up-and-down opener in which he was 30-of-46 passing (65.2%) and lamented missing several open receivers, Maye was sharp in Week 2 with a 19-of-23 performance (82.6%). “[He’s] growing up. I feel like he made a jump from last week, just settling in,” wide receiver Stefon Diggssaid after the Dolphins game. That foreshadows the possibility of bigger numbers ahead, as the Steelers come to town Sunday and have surrendered 30 points in each of the first two games for the first time since 2002. — Mike Reiss
Week 2 result: Lost to the Bills 30-10 Week 2 ranking: 25
Biggest QB takeaway:Justin Fields is wildly inconsistent with his accuracy
Against the Steelers in Week 1, Fields played one of the best games of his career, recording an 8.3% completion percentage above expected and a 0% off-target mark, per NFL Next Gen Stats. In Week 2, those numbers went the wrong way to minus-41.7% and 63.6%, respectively. The shocking disparity confirms what many believe about Fields: His accuracy is volatile and he needs the support of a strong running game to be effective. Fields’ status for this week is uncertain because of a concussion. But he can stabilize his accuracy from Weeks 4 through 8, when the Jets face some of the lightly regarded defenses. — Rich Cimini
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Schefter: Justin Fields is in concussion protocol
Adam Schefter reports on Justin Fields as the QB enters the concussion protocol following the Jets’ loss to the Bills.
Week 2 result: Lost to the Lions 52-21 Week 2 ranking: 24
Biggest QB takeaway:Caleb Williams is a work in progress
Williams was better against the Lions (19-of-30, 207 yards, 2 TDs, INT) after second-half accuracy issues plagued him versus the Vikings. His development in the pocket is an encouraging sign, as is his chemistry with receiver Rome Odunze (3 TDs in two games), but Williams’ decision-making could still improve. There was a play against Detroit on which he needed to throw the ball away but threw an interception instead. Coach Ben Johnson said the Bears would not look like a finished product in the first month. That holds true for Williams and his mastery of playing quarterback in this system. — Courtney Cronin
Week 2 result: Lost to the Rams 33-19 Week 2 ranking: 28
Biggest QB takeaway:Cam Ward‘s game will translate to the NFL
Any doubts that Ward would be an effective NFL quarterback are gradually being put to rest. Although the numbers haven’t been earth-shattering, he has shown the ability to extend plays and make good things happen. His first touchdown pass was an excellent example. Ward scrambled 36 yards before finding Elic Ayomanor for the score. Coach Brian Callahan has been most impressed by the mental aspect of Ward’s game. Callahan said the rookie has handled the operational part of the job, from getting in and out of the huddle to changing protection and routes. Ward’s volume of passes will increase as the season goes on and Callahan expands his role. — Turron Davenport
Week 2 result: Lost the Patriots 33-27 Week 2 ranking: 26
Biggest QB takeaway:Tua Tagovailoa can succeed only with a sound run game
Tagovailoa was bad in Week 1 and markedly improved in Week 2, but the one constant in both games was Miami’s lack of a rushing attack. The Dolphins have averaged 69.5 rushing yards per game this season, the fourth fewest in the NFL. Considering Tagovailoa is not a threat to run, defenses can key in on the Dolphins’ passing game and drop seven or more defenders into coverage — the Patriots did that on 97% of his dropbacks. If Miami’s run game can get going, its offense will be less predictable, which won’t force Tagovailoa to create outside of structure. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Week 2 result: Lost to the Cowboys 40-37 Week 2 ranking: 31
Biggest QB takeaway:Russell Wilson‘s job security is tenuous
After Wilson completed less than 50% of his passes and the Giants didn’t score a touchdown in Week 1, there were plenty of public calls for Wilson’s job. This became the Giants’ reality once they drafted Jaxson Dart and then made him the backup. It instantly put pressure on Wilson. The way the veteran keeps his job is — at a minimum — by throwing the deep ball like he did on Sunday. On passes of 20-plus air yards, he went 7-of-11 for 264 yards and three touchdowns. — Jordan Raanan
Week 2 result: Lost to the Ravens 41-17 Week 2 ranking: 29
Biggest QB takeaway:Joe Flacco can’t mask fundamental issues with the offense
Flacco’s second stint in Cleveland is off to a rough start, as he has turned the ball over four times. However, the Browns’ offense has issues across the board, including a nonexistent running game (tied for 26th in yards per carry), poor pass protection (23rd in pass block win rate) and plenty of drops (tied for the league high with five). It’s part of the reason that coach Kevin Stefanski said he is not considering a QB change at this point. — Daniel Oyefusi
Week 2 result: Lost to the Cardinals 27-22 Week 2 ranking: 30
The top pick of the 2023 draft had five turnovers in his first five quarters this season. Two in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss led to a 10-0 deficit after only 11 offensive plays. Still, Young managed to bounce back for career highs in yards (328), completions (35) and attempts (55); he had Carolina in position to win at the end. But his mistakes, mostly made under intense pressure, continue to haunt the team like they did last season, when he was benched after an 0-2 start. — David Newton
Week 2 result: Lost to the 49ers 26-21 Week 2 ranking: 32
Rattler’s 0-8 career record as a starter doesn’t reflect it, but his first two games this season have already shown improvement after a difficult rookie season as a temporary starter. Coach Kellen Moore assessed Rattler’s performance against the 49ers and noted it took him a bit to settle in. But when he did, he had a lot of good moments, throwing a career-high three TD passes. That doesn’t mean things will be easy for Rattler or the Saints in the coming weeks, but it is a positive sign to see week-to-week growth. — Katherine Terrell
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-09-18/China-s-contribution-to-WWII-victory-under-valued-war-historian-1GLKvdlAIoM/img/88dd7239db824790b87e171c8588173e/88dd7239db824790b87e171c8588173e.jpeg' alt='Doves and balloons are released during the grand gathering to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing, capital of China, September 3, 2025. /VCG'
China’s contribution to the World Anti-Fascist War is not as well known or appreciated as it should be in Western historical studies, a leading American scholar of military history said on Wednesday.
Harold E. Raugh, Jr., president of the International Commission of Military History, made the remarks during a discussion themed “Contemporary Significance of the Victory in the World Anti-Fascist War” ahead of the opening ceremony of the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, an international security dialogue in Beijing.
Raugh said that by publishing historical works in English and other European languages, Western powers have sought to dominate the political narrative, effectively monopolizing the history of World War II.
He also said that Chinese remains a challenging language for many Westerners, who have limited access to original source materials, further hindering global awareness of China’s perspective and reinforcing the Western monopoly over historical narratives.
This linguistic barrier, combined with the West’s deep-seated fear of communism in the post-war era, led to the marginalization and neglect of China’s significant contributions to the Allied victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, Raugh said.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. China held a series of events, including a large-scale military parade, to commemorate the victory.
China made great contributions to the victory. In its 14-year-long resistance from 1931 to 1945, China tied down and struck over half of Japan’s overseas forces, at the cost of 35 million military and civilian casualties, accounting for around one-third of all WWII casualties worldwide.
Correct understanding of WWII and safeguarding the post-war world system are major topics in this year’s Xiangshan Forum, which runs from Wednesday to Friday.
The Maharashtra government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cambridge University Press and Assessment India, aimed at elevating school education in the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, speaking at the signing event, said the agreement marks a new step toward global‑standard education.
The deal, struck in the presence of Education Minister Dr Pankaj Bhoyar and other senior officials, will bring international teaching practices, teacher training, updated curriculum materials, climate education, and open schooling programs to Maharashtra’s schools.
Fadnavis said the state’s journey toward world‑class education has gained momentum since the introduction of the National Education Policy. He pledged to personally supervise implementation. Dr Bhoyar called the agreement “historic” and said it would benefit students across urban and rural areas by improving competence, confidence, and global readiness.
CET 2025-26: Computer Engineering emerges as popular course yet again for aspirants
Computer Engineering once again emerged as the most popular course choice for students who secured admission through the Common Entrance Test (CET) 2025-26. As many as 27,995 students took admission in Computer Engineering, while seven professional courses related to Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning saw an intake of over 85 per cent.
The CET cell on Monday closed the admission process for statewide engineering colleges. Of the 2,25,166 registered candidates, 1,66,746 aspirants were successfully admitted to colleges. The CET cell conducted four rounds, during which 1,30,835 students sought admission to engineering colleges. Of these, 23,046 candidates secured admission under ACAP or the spot round, and 12,865 under the management quota.
This year saw an increase in the net BE/BTech admissions from 1,49,078 aspirants to 1,66,746. However, the number of students taking admission under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and institute-level quotas declined.
Meanwhile, the admission rate of female candidates increased from 35.38 to 37.30 per cent. In Mumbai alone, the number of female students taking admission rose from 8,878 to 10,013.
Trailing right behind Computer Engineering is Mechanical Engineering, which saw an intake of 17,115 aspirants, followed by courses such as Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.
Baseball fans who grew up on 20-game winners understand — sometimes with much chagrin, sometimes with more emphatic degrees of horror — that the expectations for a starting pitcher are much different in 2025 than 10 years ago, let alone 20, 30 or 40 years ago.
The complete game is all but dead — no pitcher has more than one nine-inning complete game this season. One hundred pitches is now viewed as the top limit for a pitch count, with pitchers rarely exceeding 110 — Randy Johnson had more 110-pitch outings just in 1993 than every starter combined in 2025. Pitchers get more days off between starts. And the list goes on.
Forty years ago in 1985, 20-year-old right-hander Dwight Gooden went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA while leading the National League with 16 complete games and 268 strikeouts; left-hander John Tudor went 21-8 with a 1.93 ERA, 14 complete games and 10 shutouts.
Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal are this season’s equivalents to Gooden and Tudor, the top starting pitchers in the majors, but when you dig into their numbers compared to their 1985 counterparts, the change in the modern game for pitchers is obviously apparent and raises the question: What does an ace look like in 2025?
Skenes, who’s the heavy favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award and should finish with the highest WAR for a Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher since the lively ball era began in 1920, has an MLB-best 2.03 ERA while leading the NL in strikeouts and WAR. He has had 11 scoreless outings this season — but his win-loss record is just 10-10. Skubal is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award for the second straight season with just 13 wins and may not reach 200 innings, just as he didn’t this past season.
While Tudor had 10 shutouts in one season, there have been just 12 complete game shutouts across the entire major leagues in 2025, nobody with more than one. The only pitcher with a shot to win 20 games, which was once the longstanding prerequisite to win a Cy Young Award, is Max Fried, who has 17 but might make just two more starts. And Skubal’s and Skenes’ numbers aren’t even unique from recent Cy Young winners: We’ve seen starters secure the honor with 13 wins (Robbie Ray in 2021 and Felix Hernandez in 2010), 11 (Corbin Burnes in 2021 and Jacob deGrom in 2019) and even a mere 10 (deGrom in 2018).
But even if their stat lines differ from past top hurlers, Skenes and Skubal are having great seasons within the context of how the game is played in 2025 and how pitchers are now managed. We’re not going back anytime soon to 1969, when 15 pitchers won 20 games, or 1974, when 34 pitchers threw at least 250 innings (we’ll be lucky to get two or three pitchers to reach 200 innings in 2025).
So, as the regular season winds down, we set out to find what defines a great season for an ace in 2025. How should we compare the aces of the past to those of today? And what is the measure of success for an ace in 2025 compared to years prior?
To answer these questions, we went back 50 years to compare 2025 to 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015. My colleague Kiley McDaniel suggests that there are generally about 12 aces in any given season, so we’ll use that: the 12 aces from each of those seasons. Let’s get into it.
Note: The 12 aces for each season were selected using Baseball-Reference WAR, innings pitched, ERA and ERA+ (which adjusts for each pitcher’s league and home park run-scoring context) as the primary guidelines.
1975
Aces: Jim Palmer, Catfish Hunter, Tom Seaver, Jim Kaat, Randy Jones, Frank Tanana, Andy Messersmith, Bert Blyleven, Steve Busby, Gaylord Perry, Jerry Reuss, Vida Blue
Average ace line: 20-12, 2.69 ERA, 288 IP, 244 H, 191 SO, 80 BB, 37 GS, 19 CG, 5 SHO, 138 ERA+, 6.8 WAR
Average MLB starter: 3.80 ERA, 4.9 SO/9, 1.49 SO/BB ratio
What defined an ace in 1975: Durability … and wins.
Defining stat: Our aces completed 226 of their 439 starts (51%) and averaged 7.8 innings per start.
The 1970s were a pitching-rich decade — there were 96 20-win seasons in the decade — with starters carrying big workloads, especially early in the decade when 40-start seasons and 300 innings were routine. If you were an ace, the expectation was that you would finish the game. No pitcher exemplified this quite like Gaylord Perry: From 1970 to 1975, he averaged 321 innings per season and completed 64% of his starts.
The Cy Young winners in 1975 were Palmer (23-11, 2.09 ERA, 8.4 WAR, 323 IP) and Seaver (22-9, 2.38 ERA, 7.8 WAR, 280 IP), and like all the Cy Young winners in the 1970s — except Seaver in 1973 (when he won 19 games) and three relievers who won — they won 20 games. The Cy Young-winning starters in this decade averaged 23 wins — and often, wins were the deciding factor in the vote.
There was no shortage of aces to choose from in 1975 — among those who failed to make the cut were Nolan Ryan (missed time with an injury and had just 2.6 WAR), Steve Carlton (3.56 ERA, 2.2 WAR), Fergie Jenkins (25 wins in 1974, but a 3.93 ERA in ’75), Don Sutton (16 wins, 3.5 WAR) and Phil Niekro (15 wins, 3.20 ERA). In other words: five future Hall of Famers in their primes.
1985
Aces: Dwight Gooden, John Tudor, Bret Saberhagen, Dave Stieb, Charlie Leibrandt, Bert Blyleven, Rick Reuschel, Orel Hershiser, Fernando Valenzuela, Jack Morris, Ron Guidry, Bob Welch
Average ace line: 18-8, 2.54 ERA, 248 IP, 204 H, 67 BB, 167 SO, 33 GS, 12 CG, 4 SHO, 157 ERA+, 6.6 WAR
Average MLB starter: 3.96 ERA, 5.2 SO/9, 1.65 SO/BB ratio
What defined an ace in 1985: A great secondary pitch.
Defining stat: The 157 ERA+ was a big increase from 1975.
It’s probably not fair to compare Skenes to Gooden, since Gooden’s 1985 season ranks as one of the best pitching seasons of all time. In a normal season, Tudor would have cruised to a Cy Young Award, but he finished second to Gooden in ’85 while Saberhagen — another right-hander who was just 21 years old — won AL honors after going 20-6 with a 2.87 ERA. Thanks to Gooden and Tudor, the average ERA+ of the 1985 aces soared much higher than in 1975, but because they were pitching fewer innings, their overall value remained almost identical.
Gooden and Saberhagen had blistering fastballs, and just them and Welch probably fit the description of “fastball pitcher” — unlike many of the 1970s aces who did rely heavily on a fastball. For the most part, however, this group stands out for a notable secondary pitch as the best weapon — and even Gooden had that monster 12-to-6 curveball. Tudor and Leibrandt were lefties with great changeups. Stieb had one of the best sliders of all time and Blyleven one of the best curveballs. The young Hershiser certainly had above-average fastball velocity, but changed speeds with his sinker, cutter, curveball and changeup. Fernando had the famous screwball, Morris a forkball and Guidry a slider.
By 1985, we had started to see an increase in the power game — home runs had increased from 0.70 per game in 1975 to 0.86 in 1985. It wasn’t quite so easy to rely primarily on a great fastball with more power up and down the lineup. Case in point: The 1975 Reds, with one of the best lineups of all time, hit just 124 home runs, which would be below average by 1985 and would outrank only the Pirates in 2025. We also see the transformation from four-man to five-man rotations and the advent of the modern closer, which led to fewer innings and fewer complete games — although our aces still averaged nearly 250 innings.
The 1980s was the worst decade for Cy Young selections. Four relievers won, but even worse were the selections of Pete Vuckovich in 1982 (3.34 ERA, 2.8 WAR) and LaMarr Hoyt in 1983 (3.66 ERA, 3.7 WAR), who won only because they led their respective leagues in wins. Leaving out the relievers and the 1981 strike season, the average Cy Young winner in the 1980s won 22 games.
1995
Aces: Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, David Cone, Mike Mussina, Kenny Rogers, Dennis Martinez, David Wells, Tim Wakefield, Tom Glavine, Hideo Nomo, Kevin Brown, John Smoltz
Average ace line: 16-7, 2.99 ERA, 202 IP, 170 H, 61 BB, 166 SO, 29 GS, 5 CG, 2 SHO, 157 ERA+, 5.9 WAR
Average MLB starter: 4.53 ERA, 6.0 SO/9, 1.82 SO/BB ratio
What defined an ace in 1995: Figuring out how to survive the PED era of increased offense.
Defining stat: We start to see an increase in K’s per nine from our aces. In 1975, it was 6.0; in 1985, 6.1; in 1995, it increased to 7.4.
This was the strike-shortened 144-game season, so the aces are missing about three or four starts from a full 162-game season, which would have given us at least a couple 20-game winners (Maddux and Mussina each won 19) and a bunch more pitchers with 200 innings.
Around this time, the game’s top-level pitchers became even more dominant in comparison to the league average starter as an offensive boom arrived due to PED usage and a livelier baseball. Our group of aces in 1995 — which didn’t include Roger Clemens or a young Pedro Martinez — had an ERA 52 percentage points better than the average starter and a strikeout rate per nine that was 23 percentage points higher. Despite the high-run environment, Maddux went 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA while Johnson went 18-2 with a 2.48 ERA and 294 strikeouts in just 30 starts to win Cy Young honors.
In one sense, we were entering the era of the super pitcher: Maddux, Johnson, Clemens and Pedro all arguably rank among the 10 greatest starting pitchers of all time, dominating in a high-offense era, while Mussina, Glavine and Smoltz are Hall of Famers. In 1995, the MLB average was 4.85 runs per game — compared to 4.21 in 1975 and 4.33 in 1985 — and would climb above five runs per game in 1996, 1999 and 2000. The increased offense across the sport contributed to the decline in innings pitched, along with the continued evolution of the modern bullpen.
The average nonreliever Cy Young winner in the 1990s (skipping the shortened 1994 season) won 20 games per season, with a few still securing the honor mainly because of their win total (most famously, 27-game winner Welch in 1990 over 21-game winner Clemens, despite Clemens posting an ERA more than a run lower, 1.93 to 2.95).
2005
Aces: Roger Clemens, Dontrelle Willis, Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, Randy Johnson, Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay, John Smoltz, Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy
Average ace line: 16-8, 2.82 ERA, 220 IP, 190 H, 46 BB, 185 SO, 32 GS, 4 CG, 2 SHO, 155 ERA+, 6.1 WAR
Average MLB starter: 4.36 ERA, 6.0 SO/9, 2.08 SO/BB ratio
What defined an ace in 2005: Striking out a lot more batters than they walked.
Defining stat: Strikeout-to-walk ratio. In 1975, our aces had a SO/BB ratio of 2.4; in 1985, 2.5; in 1995, 2.7; but in 2005, it was all the way up to 4.0.
For whatever reason, 2005 saw a minor dip in offense from surrounding seasons (the MLB average was 4.81 runs per game in 2004 and 4.86 in 2006 but 4.59 this season). Clemens had his last great season, leading the NL with a 1.87 ERA and 7.8 WAR, although with 13 wins, he finished third in the Cy Young voting behind Carpenter (21-5, 2.83 ERA, 5.8 WAR) and Willis (22-10, 2.63 ERA, 7.3 WAR). The AL Cy Young voting similarly registered wins as the priority: Santana was 16-7 with a 2.87 ERA and 7.2 WAR and should have won, but 21-game winner Bartolo Colon with a 3.48 ERA captured the honor.
Overall, our aces carried a similar workload to 1995 and remained as productive, with a high ERA+ while averaging over 6.0 WAR. The biggest difference, of course, was how the aces got there: more strikeouts and fewer walks. Halladay best symbolized this new generation of aces, who combined strikeout stuff with great control. Indeed, he made the list of aces even though he made just 19 starts in 2005 — but he went 12-4 with a 2.41 ERA and 5.5 WAR, good enough to crack the top 12. Call that season a sign of things to come, where you wouldn’t need to pitch 220 innings to be one of the most valuable starters.
The typical Cy Young winner in the 2000s still averaged 19.5 wins, with new “lows” set in 2006 when Brandon Webb won with just 16 wins and then Tim Lincecum in 2009 with 15 wins.
Average ace line: 17-8, 2.56 ERA, 218 IP, 172 H, 45 BB, 225 SO, 32 GS, 3 CG, 2 SHO, 156 ERA+, 6.1 WAR
Average MLB starter: 4.10 ERA, 7.4 SO/9, 2.73 SO/BB ratio
What defined an ace in 2015: Strikeouts!
Defining stat: The strikeout rate for our aces climbed to over one per inning at 9.3 K’s per nine.
This season featured one of the best three-way Cy Young races of all time, when Greinke and Arrieta posted ERAs under 2.00 while Kershaw had a 2.13 ERA with 301 strikeouts. Greinke was 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA and 8.9 WAR, but Arrieta won after going 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA and 8.3 WAR.
The increased strikeout rate is a reflection of a couple of things: We were near the beginning of the high-velocity era for pitchers, but what set apart these aces is multiple strikeout pitches to go along with their fastballs. Arrieta featured two fastballs, a slider, curveball and changeup, and Greinke had the same five-pitch repertoire. Kershaw had pinpoint control of his fastball and two unhittable off-speed pitches in his curveball and slider. King Felix had an A+ changeup and a great curveball. Kluber parlayed a cutter/slider/curveball combo into two Cy Youngs. Scherzer and deGrom had everything — overpowering fastballs, control and multiple off-speed weapons. It was a new wave of dominance that we had never seen before.
The typical Cy Young winner in the 2010s still averaged 18.8 wins. It was a very controversial selection when Hernandez won in 2010 despite going just 13-12 for a terrible Mariners team, and wins still generally remained a key factor in Cy Young voting during this decade. As late as 2016, Rick Porcello (22-6, 4.7 WAR) beat out Justin Verlander (16-9, 7.4 WAR) primarily because he won more games (Verlander actually had more first-place votes, 14 to 8). However, the tide had shifted by the time deGrom took home the honor in 2018 and 2019 despite winning just 10 and 11 games, respectively. He was clearly the best pitcher in the NL and received 29 of 30 first-place votes both years.
Average ace line: 13-6, 2.65 ERA, 174 IP, 137 H, 44 BB, 195 SO, 16 HR, 29 GS, 1 CG, 0 SHO, 162 ERA+, 5.4 WAR
Average MLB starter: 4.23 ERA, 8.2 SO/9, 2.77 SO/BB ratio
What defines an ace in 2025: Dominance over shorter outings.
Defining stat: Our aces have allowed no runs or one run in 171 out of 346 starts.
Those totals will climb a bit over the final days of the season, but we’re still seeing a 30-to-40-inning drop in workload from a decade prior, and thus a slight drop in overall value despite a high rate of productivity. The trade-off with fewer innings is that these aces are expected to dominate over those shorter outings, which often now last just six or seven innings. Skenes has pitched more than seven innings just three times and Skubal just twice (although, one of those was his first career complete game).
Of course, fewer innings means fewer decisions and thus fewer wins from the elite starters. The eight Cy Young winners from 2021 to 2024 averaged just 15.1 wins per season and the last 20-game Cy Young winner was Verlander in 2019.
Conclusion
The days of multiple 20-game winners vying for Cy Young honors are long gone, but I hope we’ve adjusted our thinking and can still appreciate what Skenes and Skubal — and Sanchez, Crochet, Brown and the other top starters — have accomplished in an era that is much different from 1975 or 1985.
A stat like WAR is a good way to look at this. Skenes has 7.2 WAR — higher than nine of the Cy Young starting pitchers of the 1970s and eight from the 1980s. Skenes is just as valuable in 2025 as many of the top pitchers were 40 and 50 years ago in their era.
Will his 2025 campaign go down as a legendary season like Gooden had in 1985? No, 10-10 is not the same as 24-4, and losing that aspect of baseball history no doubt stirs up much of the consternation about the “decline” of the starting pitcher. But let’s leave it at this: Dwight Gooden was a must-watch star in 1985, just as Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux were in 1995, just as Clayton Kershaw in 2015 and just as Skenes and Skubal are in 2025.
