Tarik Skubal Is Having One of Best Pitching Seasons in Detroit Tigers History
The Detroit Tigers kept the good times rolling on Tuesday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays with their star Tarik Skubal leading the way on the mound.
The ace continued his dominance, cutting through the Rays lineup like a hot knife through butter. He pitched seven innings, giving up only two hits and one walk resulting in zero runs to go along with seven strikeouts.
Most importantly, the team won the game 2-1 to hold their position in the American League wild card race. With five games left to play, they are tied with the Kansas City Royals and two games clear of the Minnesota Twins.
Skubal’s performance all season is a major reason that the team is in the position which they are.
Tuesday’s outing was his Major League-leading 18th win of the season. His 228 strikeouts are also the most in baseball, and his 2.39 ERA leads the AL; only Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves has a lower ERA in the MLB.
That performance has led to Skubal continuing his climb up a historic list.
He has surpassed Justin Verlander for third place on the team’s single-season ERA list with at least 150 innings pitched. The future Hall of Famer had a 2.40 ERA in 2011 when he won the Cy Young Award and MVP.
Whenever you are surpassing a player of Verlander’s caliber in anything, you are accomplishing a special feat.
According to Chris Brown on X, the only players with lower ERAs than Skuball in 2024 are Mark Fidrych in 1976 with a 2.34 and Danny McLain in 1969 with a 1.96.
Lowest ERA by a Detroit Tigers starting pitcher in the integration era (min 150 IP)
— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrown0914) September 24, 2024
Denny McLain - 1.96 (1969)
Mark Fidrych - 2.34 (1976)
Tarik Skubal - 2.39 (2024)
Justin Verlander - 2.40 (2011)
Mickey Lolich - 2.50 (1972)
Depending on how things shake out over the next few games, Tuesday night may have been his last start of the regular season. If the Tigers clinch a playoff spot before the season finale on Sunday, it would make sense to hold their star back for Game 1 of the Wild Card Round.
Whether he makes another start or not, this has been a special season for the presumed AL Cy Young Award favorite. It will go down as one of the best in franchise history, as he has put the team on the cusp of a historic run to the postseason.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.