CLEVELAND — Eight years ago, Tarik Skubal was a college pitcher recovering from Tommy John surgery, and his eyes were fixed on Progressive Field. Skubal watched the entirety of the 2016 World Series, one of his fondest memories of postseason baseball from afar. “For whatever reason, that was the one that captivated me,” Skubal said.
On the night the Tigers clinched their surprise bid for the postseason, Skubal conjured that recollection. He talked about Game 7, the Rajai Davis homer, the rain delay, the Cubs rallying in Cleveland and breaking the curse. Someone asked Skubal if, at the time, he ever could have imagined himself being on such a postseason stage only a few years later. The easy thing to do would be to say yes. To put on the bravado and act like he foresaw this as his destiny.
Skubal chose a more honest route.
“Hell no,” he said. “Those guys were like idols. … Look at that ’16 Cubs roster. They were loaded with players. But to answer the question, no, I thought I was on a very different level than them. But yeah, here I am.”
These days Skubal is teammates with Javier Báez. Scott Harris, then the Cubs’ director of baseball operations, now runs the Tigers. And Skubal is the ace pitching in a Division Series elimination game at — where else? — Progressive Field.
The Tigers have leaned on Skubal’s prowess all season. They are 23-10 in games he starts. He has been their workhorse and their emotional force. In ALDS Game 2, Skubal spun seven scoreless innings. He displayed his usual ferocious emotion. After escaping one inning, he strutted off the field and cameras caught his curses as he told the home crowd to silence.
On X, his mother, Laura, responded: “Tarik Daniel!!”
Tarik Daniel!!
— Laura Skubal (@lskubal) October 7, 2024
Friday before the Tigers’ workout in Cleveland, Skubal sat in the lower-level interview room and tilted his head. He has not been grounded yet.
“You should hear my mom,” he said. “She wants to make that comment, but I’ve seen her get ejected out of plenty of high school basketball games. I guess it might run in the family.”
The elevated blood pressure Skubal brings should be no different on Saturday. Asked what it will be like to see Skubal in an elimination game setting, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch turned sarcastic.
“Totally calm,” Hinch said. “No outbursts. No energy.”
When it comes to the emotion, Skubal laughs. He’s always been that way, he said. It was even more pronounced during his college days at Seattle University. “Everyone there, the hard thing goes on there,” he said. He wore his emotions on his sleeve as a high school basketball player and during pickup games with his brothers. Do not expect anything to change in Game 5.
Skubal’s emotional intensity has become more than just part of his brand. His roars and fist pumps have become a fuel source for the entire Tigers team. In only eight years, he has grown from a college kid looking at big leaguers in awe to a full-fledged confident beast. Not only does he belong here, he has become the game’s best.
“I know how important every game is to him, and I know what it means to send him out to the mound for the confidence in our team,” Hinch said. “He’s gonna handle it like the pro that he is and attack the strike zone, attack the hitters. He loves competition. He’s into it as much as anybody that I’ve ever put on the mound.”
Thursday night, the Tigers were seven outs away from winning Game 4 before David Fry homered and a shot at victory slipped through their fingers. Finishing off the series in Detroit would have been the optimal scenario. But in a quiet clubhouse after that loss, player after player projected the same confidence: The Tigers’ ace on the mound in an elimination game isn’t so bad, either.
“He’s built for the moment,” first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. “All the confidence in the world in him.”
“We got Skubal on the mound,” outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy said, “so I like our chances.”
Even the opposing team does not deny exactly what they will be up against: “He’s just got it all,” Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges said. “He’s a unit on the mound. He’s got crazy deception. He throws 100. He’s got two different fastballs. He’s got wipeout off-speed. He’s the ultimate competitor. He’s every team’s dream to have as your ace.”
In advance of the biggest start of his career, Skuba spewed many of the platitudes you would expect. Winner-take-all game. The cards are down. You go out and play. Preparation for this start is just like any other. Skubal will set his packs of Welch’s Fruit Snacks and Honey Stinger energy waffles on a white Gatorade towel just like always. He will fire fastballs and spin sliders. He will yell and emote. This game just happens to be the biggest and most consequential of his young career.
“It’s why you play the game,” Skubal said, “for moments like this and stages like this.”
(Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
