Five years ago, no one could even pronounce Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Tarik Skubal’s name correctly. Today, he is a household name. The Detroit Tigers’ All-Star lefty is on a historic pace and is the front-runner to be the American League Triple Crown winner: a title awarded to the pitcher who leads the league in wins, strikeouts, and Earned Run Average (ERA). Will he be able to get it done?
Race For the Crown
Though the Triple Crown is much more common for pitchers than it is for hitters, it has only been accomplished 37 times between National and American League pitchers, and four times in the Negro League The most recent Triple Crown pitcher was Shane Bieber in the 2020 season for the then-Cleveland Indians. The last hitter to win it? The Detroit Tigers’ own Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
At this point in the season, Skubal leads the league in wins and ERA with a 14-4 record over 24 starts, and a 2.53 ERA in 149.1 innings pitched. As for strikeouts, Skubal is ranked second with 180 K’s through his 149 innings. Though it’s not a stat tracked for triple crown purposes, Tarik Skubal also ranks second among pitchers in WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) with a 0.92.
Simply On Fire
The last time a Detroit Tigers pitcher had a season like this, both into and out of the All-Star break, was Justin Verlander in 2012 who was a Cy Young candidate and went on to win it that year. Verlander finished his Cy Young season for Detroit with a 2.64 ERA, a 17-8 record, and 239 strikeouts.
In Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, Skubal only allowed three hits in six innings pitched. His one run allowed turned out to be the only run the Mariners would score. A whopping nine strikeouts topped off last night’s stat sheet for Skubal, as the Tigers won with a final score of 15-1.
On Pace for History
Although the Detroit Tigers are not on pace for anything substantial this season (4th place in the AL Central), Skubal is keeping the team on everyone’s radar with his historic run on the mound. With just over 40 games remaining this season, Skubal is on pace for not only the triple crown title, but he currently has the best odds to win the AL Cy Young trophy at -649. That’s well ahead of the second-best odds, the Baltimore Orioles Corbin Burnes at +460.
Skubal looks to become only the fifth Cy Young award winner in Detroit Tigers history, joining Max Scherzer (2013), Justin Verlander (2012), Willie Hernandez (1984), and Denny McLain (1969).
A Bright Future For Detroit
The Detroit Tigers are not on pace to win the World Series anytime soon. BT with Skubal in their rotation, it’s not a complete long shot. If he continues this type of play into the 2025 season, they may just find themselves in the postseason. Skubal’s next start is scheduled for a home matchup against the New York Yankees on Sunday, August 18.
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