DETROIT — The yell on the mound has become a signature move for Tarik Skubal as he has fired pitches past hitters for strikeouts over the last two seasons. He had a couple of those on Sunday night, but the snapshot of his latest gem would be the wry smile on his face as he walked off the mound after his seventh and final inning.
After sending down every member of the Twins’ lineup at least once, all swinging, almost all on changeups, Skubal saved his lone called third strike for last. It was a 99.7 mph fastball, his hardest pitch of the night, and it froze Ty France, the only Twins batter with a base hit off the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner during the Tigers’ 3-0 victory at Comerica Park.
Skubal looked like he had saved up a surprise the entire evening for that moment, knowing his outing was about done.
“I kind of knew my night was coming to an end,” Skubal said. “I didn’t want to walk off the mound with anything left in the gas tank.”
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As Skubal walked back to the Tigers’ dugout, having tied his career high with 13 strikeouts, he applauded the sellout crowd that was standing to applaud him. The left-hander became the first pitcher in Tigers history to strike out 13 batters in a game without allowing more than one hit.
As he descended the dugout steps, he got the expected end-of-outing handshake from manager A.J. Hinch. Then they had a bear hug.
“There’s a lot of love for that guy,” Hinch said, “because of everything he does, when everybody expects it. It’s one thing to do it when you have sort of that first performance. But everybody in the league expects this guy to be perfect. And tonight, there was a moment when you’re like, ‘This is getting pretty deep into the game.’ And he wasn’t giving up any contact.”
Jun 29, 2025
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A.J. Hinch discusses Tarik Skubal’s dominant start
The first Sunday night game at Comerica Park in eight years became the latest showcase for the Summer of Skubal, where every outing carries with it an anticipation of how long he might go without allowing a base hit. Skubal topped it by leaving everybody in the park wondering when the next ball in play might be.
Skubal, pitching on Sunday night for the second time in 11 months — he also started in the Little League Classic last August in Williamsport, Pa. — overwhelmed the Twins in his first trip through their batting order. He struck out eight of the first nine, all swinging, with Ryan Jeffers’ first-inning flyout to center field the only ball in play. Seven of those strikeouts came on his changeup, a pitch the Twins could not figure out all evening. He had 14 swinging strikes through nine batters.
