If there were an Academy Award for the year's best pitching performance, Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal surely sewed it up Sunday.
The 28-year-old southpaw dazzled against the Cleveland Guardians, striking out 13 and allowing just two hits in a 5–0 complete-game shutout. He seemed to get more effective as the game went on, striking out Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias on a 102.6-mph fastball to end the game.
When the dust settled on Skubal's opus, the reigning American League Cy Young winner took a moment to acknowledge how far he's come.
"You get a little teary eyed out there, honestly," Skubal said after the game via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic about fans chanting his name before the ninth inning. "I just thought to myself 12-year-old me wouldn’t believe (there) was an opportunity to have a fanbase support you the way it does and be in that moment."
Skubal made a quantum leap from 2023 to 2024; last year, he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts to win the AL's Triple Crown. This year, he is as good if not better: he leads the AL in FIP and strikeouts per nine innings and leads the majors in walks per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
There is, all told, a reason why the Tigers have the best record in their league.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tarik Skubal Discusses Getting Teary-Eyed During Complete-Game Shoutout of Guardians.
