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Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Set to Make History Against Dodgers on Opening Day

Tarik Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, will take the mound for the Detroit Tigers when they faced off against the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.

Sam Connon

Oakland, California, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Oakland, California, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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When Tarik Skubal takes the mound this week, the Detroit Tigers' ace will join an exclusive list in the MLB history books.

The 28-year-old southpaw, fresh off winning AL Cy Young in 2024, will be going head-to-head with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the reigning World Series champions. While the Dodgers' title defense technically started during last week's Tokyo Series, their domestic Opening Day is still a key date for multiple reasons.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Skubal is set to become the fourth reigning Cy Young winner to make his season debut against the defending World Series champions.

The last pitcher to achieve the feat was Chicago White Sox right-hander Jack McDowell, who did so against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1994. LaMarr Hoyt and Randy Jones did it against the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds in 1984 and 1977, respectively.

Skubal went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA, 0.922 WHIP, 228 strikeouts and a 6.4 WAR last season, ascending to All-Star status and leading the Tigers to their first postseason berth in a decade. He has looked just as dominant this spring, going 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA, 0.828 WHIP and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings across his five Grapefruit League appearances.

The left-hander has been pegged as the Tigers' Opening Day starter since February, when manager A.J. Hinch publicized his decision live during a spring training broadcast. Now, the first game of Detroit's regular season slate is just two days away.

First pitch from Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Skubal limited Los Angeles to two runs in 6.0 innings when he faced them last July. The 2025 Dodgers, meanwhile, averaged five runs in their pair of wins over the Cubs in Japan last week.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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