| Tarik Skubal | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Skubal with theDetroit Tigers in 2025 | |
| Detroit Tigers – No. 29 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1996-11-20)November 20, 1996 (age 29) Hayward, California, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 18, 2020, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 54–37 |
| Earned run average | 3.08 |
| Strikeouts | 889 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Tarik Daniel Skubal (born November 20, 1996) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher for theDetroit Tigers ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Tigers in the ninth round of the2018 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2020. He is a two-time American LeagueCy Young Award winner (2024 and 2025). In 2024, Skubal was named anAll-Star and became the firstAmerican League pitcher since 2011 to capture both the pitchingTriple Crown and the Cy Young Award in a full season. He was again named an All-Star in 2025.
Skubal was born inHayward, California.[1] His father is an elementary school teacher and retired coach.[2] He has three brothers and one step-brother.[3]
Skubal grew up a fan of theOakland Athletics.[4] He played two years ofLittle League Baseball, representingCordelia, California, and the widerTri-Valley area.[5] He moved toKingman, Arizona, and attendedKingman Academy of Learning.[6]
Skubal enrolled atSeattle University to playcollege baseball for theSeattle Redhawks; it was the onlyNCAA Division I school to offer him a scholarship.[6] Skubal missed most of the 2016 season and all of 2017 after undergoingTommy John surgery. Despite the injury, he was drafted by theArizona Diamondbacks in the 29th round of the2017 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign, opting instead to return to Seattle.[7] Skubal had a combined 21–7 record as a starter for the Redhawks.[8] In 2018, he led the team with 106 strikeouts and 56 walks, pitching 80 innings in his final season in Seattle.[9]
TheDetroit Tigers selected Skubal in the ninth round with the 255th overall selection of the2018 MLB draft.[10][11] He received a $350,000bonus for signing a contract.[12] After the draft, Skubal spent his first professional season with theGulf Coast Tigers,Connecticut Tigers, andWest Michigan Whitecaps, pitching to a combined 3–0 record and 0.40earned run average (ERA) in22+1⁄3 innings pitched.[13] He started 2019 with theLakeland Flying Tigers.[14] He earned a call-up to theErie SeaWolves on July 5. Over his first three starts with Erie, he had a 0.56 ERA with 34 strikeouts, giving up five hits in 16 innings. His performances over the season raised his ranking in MLB.com's 2019 Prospect Watch from a preseason #20 ranking in the Tigers' organization to a #4 spot at the midseason update on July 27.[15] He finished the season atDouble-A Erie with a 2–3 record, 2.13 ERA, 1.02 WHIP. Opponents hit just .168 off him. Overall in 2019, inHigh-A and Double-A, Skubal struck out 179 batters in122+2⁄3 innings.
The Tigers invited Skubal to spring training in 2020.[16] On August 18, Skubal was recalled from the Tigers' satellite training facility in Toledo, and he made his MLB debut later that day.[17][18] On August 29, Skubal earned his first major league win, besting theMinnesota Twins. In five innings pitched, Skubal allowed two earned runs and three hits while striking out two and walking none in the Tigers' 4–2 win.[19] With the2020 Detroit Tigers, Skubal appeared in 8 games, compiling a 1–4 record with 5.63 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched.[20] Hiscutter, which averaged 95.4 mph (153.5 km/h), was the fastest cutter of any major league pitcher in 2020.[21]
On March 24, 2021, new Tigers managerA. J. Hinch announced that Skubal had made theOpening Day roster out of spring training and would be in the Tigers' starting rotation.[22] On July 3, Skubal recorded his 100th strikeout of the season, becoming the first Tiger rookie ever to strike out at least 100 batters before theAll-Star break.[23] On August 25, against theSt. Louis Cardinals, Skubal recorded strikeouts for the first six outs of the game, finishing with ten strikeouts in five innings of work.[24] On September 25, Skubal reached 200 career strikeouts in his first 38 appearances, the fewest number of games in Tigers history that a pitcher needed to reach that milestone. Overall in 2021, Skubal pitched in 31 games, starting all but two of them, posting an 8–12 record and 4.34 ERA while striking out 164 batters in149+1⁄3 innings.[20]
Skubal continued to pitch in the Tigers starting rotation in 2022. After posting a 7–8 record with a 3.52 ERA, 111ERA+, 1.16 WHIP and 117 strikeouts in117+2⁄3 innings, he was placed on theinjured list on August 3 with fatigue in his pitching arm. On August 17, the Tigers announced Skubal had undergone flexor tendon surgery, definitively ending his 2022 season and likely sidelining him for the beginning of 2023.[25]
On March 14, 2023, the Tigers moved Skubal to the 60-day injured list, stating that he wasn't expected back on the mound until summer.[26] He was activated for his season debut on July 4.[27] He was named American LeaguePitcher of the Month in September, finishing his final five starts with a 4–0 record and 0.90 ERA.[28] In 2023, he pitched80+1⁄3 innings over 15 starts, posting a 7–3 record with a 2.80 ERA and 102 strikeouts.[29] He ranked in the top 4 percent of MLB pitchers in 2023 at earning strikeouts and limiting walks, and his expected ERA was in the top 1 percent of pitchers, according to Baseball Savant.[30]
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Skubal started for the Tigers onOpening Day of the 2024 season, throwing six shutout innings to lead the Tigers to a 1–0 victory over theChicago White Sox.[31][32] On April 28, Skubal became the first pitcher in Tigers franchise history to strike out 40+ batters through his first six starts with fewer than nine walks (he had 41 strikeouts and only six walks to date).[28] In a May 5 game against theNew York Yankees, Skubal became the first Tigers pitcher in over 100 years to strike out 12 or more batters without issuing a walk. The last Tiger pitcher to do so wasEric Erickson (in a 16-inning complete game) on May 24, 1918.[33]
On July 7, Skubal was selected to represent the Tigers in the2024 All-Star Game being held July 16, along with teammateRiley Greene. At the time of his selection, Skubal had a 10–3 record, 2.37 ERA, a league-best 0.90 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 110 innings.[34] He pitched a 1-2-3 second inning in the All-Star Game.[35]
Skubal finished the season with 18 wins (18–4 record), a 2.39 ERA, 0.922 WHIP, and 228 strikeouts. He became the first pitcher to win theTriple Crown sinceShane Bieber in theCOVID-19 shortened2020 season. He and fellow Cy Young awardeeChris Sale were the first pitchers to earn the Triple Crown in a full season since2011, when bothJustin Verlander (AL) andClayton Kershaw (NL) earned the distinction.[36][37] Additionally, Skubal led the American League with a 170 ERA+ and 2.50 fielding-independent pitching (FIP) rating, while leading all major league pitchers with a 6.3 Wins Against Replacement (WAR).
On October 1, Skubal earned the first postseason win of his career after throwing six scoreless innings with six strikeouts against theHouston Astros in Game 1 of theAL Wild Card Series.[38] He threw seven shutout innings against theCleveland Guardians in Game 2 of theAL Division Series, and took the loss in Game 5 after giving up agrand slam in the fifth inning, ultimately losing the series. Across three games and 19.0 innings of the2024 postseason, Skubal recorded a 1–1 record with a 2.37 ERA and 20 strikeouts.[39]
After the season, Skubal won theAL Cy Young Award for the first time in his career.[40] On the strength of his Triple Crown campaign, he won the Cy Young Award unanimously, earning all 30 first-place votes.[41]
On January 9, 2025, the Tigers and Skubal agreed to a one-year, $10.15 million contract, avoiding arbitration.[42] Skubal started for the Tigers onOpening Day of the season, taking a 5–4 loss against the defendingWorld Series championLos Angeles Dodgers.[43] On May 25, Skubal pitched aMaddux, throwing only 94 pitches in a complete-game shutout versus the Guardians, with a career-high-tying 13 strikeouts, no walks, and two hits allowed. The 5–0 victory was both the first complete game and the first shutout of his career.[44]
On June 24, Skubal earned the 50th win of his career after allowing six hits, on walk, and four runs, while striking out eight batters in 6 innings to beat theAthletics 11–4.[45] In his next start on June 29, Detroit defeated the Minnesota Twins, 3–0, behind Skubal's seven innings with 13 strikeouts and one hit allowed; each Twins starter struck out at least once. He was the first pitcher in Tigers history with at least 13 strikeouts and one hit or fewer in a game.[46][47]
On July 6, Skubal was named to theAll-Star Game roster, his second consecutive All-Star selection.[47] On July 12, American League (AL) managerAaron Boone named Skubal the starting pitcher for the AL in the game.[48] He gave up hits to the first three batters in the game, allowing two runs in one inning as the AL lost.[49]
With ten strikeouts on August 19 against theHouston Astros, Skubal became the first MLB pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts in 2025, the second season in a row he has done that.[50]
For the 2025 season, Skubal went 13–6 with 241 strikeouts and an AL-leading 2.21 ERA. He also led the league's pitchers in WAR (6.6, according toBaseball Reference), ERA+ (187), and FIP (2.45), while leading the majors in WHIP (0.891),walks per 9 innings (1.5), andstrikeout-to-walk ratio (7.30).[51]
In Game 1 of theAL Wild Card Series against the Guardians, Skubal tied a Tigers playoff record, set byJoe Coleman in 1973, with 14 strikeouts. The Tigers won 2–1.[52] In Game 5 of theAL Division Series against the Mariners, Skubal broke a winner-take-all postseason record with 13 strikeouts. Earlier in the game, Skubal set a record for most strikeouts in a row in a postseason game with seven.[53] Across three games and 20.2 innings of the2025 postseason, Skubal recorded a 1–0 record with a 1.74 ERA and 36 strikeouts.[39]
His 2025 efforts resulted in him winning his second consecutive AL Cy Young award. He was the first pitcher to win consecutive awards sinceJacob deGrom won theNL Cy Young in 2018 and 2019.[54] He was the first in the American League sincePedro Martinez won the award in 1999 and 2000.[55] He also became the 12th pitcher to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards.[56]
Skubal throws both four-seam and sinking two-seamfastballs, each averaging around 96 miles per hour, with his four-seam fastball having reached as fast as 102.7 mph. His off-speed pitches include aslider that averages 88 mph, with an occasional "turbo slider" reaching as high as 96 mph. Since 2023, his best and most used off-speed pitch is achangeup that averages 86 mph with an elite seam-shifted wake, generating the lowest contact rate (55.3%) and highest chase rate (41.2%) of all his pitches.[57] MLB.com calls Skubal's changeup "the most valuable pitch in baseball," due to its league-leading +25 run value. In 2025, it was the hardest changeup to hit (.156 batting average against) in the majors, and had the second highest whiff rate (47.0%).[58] He also occasionally throws aknuckle curve that averages 77 mph.
