TARIK SKUBAL IS QUIETLY HAVING ONE OF THE MOST DOMINANT SEASONS IN MLB — AND DETROIT IS FINALLY TAKING NOTICE
By [Author Name]
Published: July 21, 2025
In a season filled with surprising narratives and breakout stars, perhaps no pitcher has been as consistently dominant — and as criminally underappreciated — as Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
Until now.
After his latest masterpiece on Sunday Night Baseball, Skubal became the first pitcher in history with two separate 10+ strikeout, 0-walk games on SNB in a single season. It was just the latest exclamation point in a season that now includes a league-best 2.11 ERA, 162 strikeouts, and only 18 walks across 20 starts. His WHIP (0.89) ranks second in all of baseball. More importantly, he’s made the Tigers — yes, the Tigers — relevant again in mid-July.
“We just keep showing up and Tarik keeps doing Tarik things,” manager A.J. Hinch said after the Tigers’ 5-1 win over the Yankees. “You run out of superlatives.”
The numbers are jaw-dropping. Five times this season, Skubal has thrown at least six innings with 10+ strikeouts, zero walks, and zero earned runs — something only three other pitchers have accomplished in the last 25 years: Corbin Burnes, Gerrit Cole, and Clayton Kershaw. That’s the company he now keeps.
And the best part for Detroit? He’s doing it on national television, under the lights, with the baseball world watching.
RISING ON THE BIG STAGE
If you’re not a Tigers fan, chances are you haven’t seen much of Skubal. Detroit hasn’t played meaningful September baseball since their last playoff appearance in 2014. The team has cycled through rebuild after rebuild, high draft pick after high draft pick. For a while, Skubal was just another name on the long list of “maybe” arms in the Tigers’ system.
But as his teammates have come and gone, Skubal has grown into his own. His command is pristine. His four-seam fastball is averaging 96.8 mph — the highest of his career — and his wipeout slider has become nearly unhittable against both lefties and righties. And now, under the spotlight of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, he’s letting the world in on a secret Detroit has known for a while.
“This is Verlander stuff,” longtime Tigers beat reporter Lynn Henning tweeted after the game. “Different arsenal, same presence.”
DETROIT’S ACE, DETROIT’S HOPE
The Tigers are hovering just above .500 — nothing remarkable on the surface — but in an underwhelming AL Central, it’s more than enough to stay in the playoff picture. And in a year where the bullpen has been shaky and the offense inconsistent, it’s Skubal who’s given them a fighting chance every fifth day.
“Every time he’s on the mound, we feel like we’re going to win,” outfielder Riley Greene said. “He sets the tone for everything.”
And maybe most importantly, he’s helping change the narrative around Detroit — a city and a fan base starved for stars, for attention, for hope.
Sunday night, fans at Comerica chanted “M-V-P” as Skubal walked off the mound after striking out Aaron Judge for the 10th and final time of the night. That moment, as loud and unexpected as it was, felt like a turning point. A message. Detroit is done being overlooked.
THE HUMBLE MONSTER
If you ask Skubal about any of it, he won’t bite. His postgame interviews remain dry and deflective — almost to a fault.
“I just try to go out there and give us a chance to win,” he said Sunday, shrugging off comparisons to Justin Verlander. “That’s my job.”
But the data doesn’t lie. According to MLB’s Statcast, Skubal is generating swings-and-misses on 36% of his pitches — third-highest among all starters. His walk rate is in the 98th percentile. His hard-hit rate is in the top five percent.
It’s dominance in every measurable way — even if he won’t admit it.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING?
It’s hard to watch what Skubal is doing and not think about awards. The AL Cy Young race is wide open — with Gerrit Cole recovering from injury and Kevin Gausman struggling in Toronto — and Skubal is firmly in the conversation.
He also has a real shot at setting franchise records. With 186 strikeouts through 20 starts, he’s on pace to break the modern-era Tigers record for strikeouts in a season (Justin Verlander, 269 in 2009). He’s also just one dominant outing away from surpassing Verlander’s mark of seven 10+ K, 0-walk games — a feat that once felt untouchable.
But for Skubal, that all comes secondary.
“We’re just trying to get to October,” he said. “That’s what matters.”
And if he keeps pitching like this, October might finally come calling for the Motor City.