Detroit Tigers Ace Breaks Down Unconventional Path to Postseason
The Detroit Tigers were able to have an incredible season in 2024, and arguably the most impressive feat for them was the performance of their ace all season long.
It was an incredible 2024 campaign for the Tigers, as they snapped a lengthy playoff drought and won the American League Wild Card Series against the Houston Astros.
In the middle of the summer, it didn’t look like either of those things were going to happen. At the trade deadline, Detroit traded away most of their talented impending free agents as most teams who are out of contention generally do.
However, the Tigers went on to be one of the best teams in baseball in the second half of the season, and rode that momentum right into the playoffs.
One of the main reasons for the success down the stretch was the performance of Tarik Skubal. The American League Cy Young award winner was simply phenomenal every time he got the ball to start a game, and he was the clear choice for the award.
Recently, the southpaw spoke about how the team playing better in the second half of the year helped him win the award. Also, he spoke the unconventional way Detroit went about managing their pitching staff around him.
"That was a blessing. When I was given the ball every fifth day, I think everyone expected to win," Skubal said to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. "and that's something I take a ton of pride in. I'm trying to be the same guy and put my team in a position to win every fifth day, and we'll figure out the other three, four days in between. I think it speaks to what we did. We were able to do those things and probably gave A.J. (Hinch, manager) some long nights, but he was good for it."
Skubal finished up the season with a 18-4 record, 2.36 ERA, and 228 strikeouts, which led the league.
From start to finish, it was a great campaign, as in his worst month of the season, he only posted a 3.05 ERA.
The southpaw is very much a team player and really passes all the credit along to those around him. Now, after a great run into the playoffs, the Tigers will be hoping to do that again and get even further in 2025.
With their talented lefty leading the way, they know that they will be a favorite to win against pretty much anyone when he is on the mound.
