This may be the best birthday gift a pitcher can get; Detroit Tigers’ dynamic left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award. The recently turned 28-year-old is the first Tigers pitcher to win the award since Max Scherzer in 2013 and the 3rd Tiger to win in the last 40 years! Skubal anchored Detroit’s pitching rotation and staff, including him and what manager AJ Hinch calls “chaos.”
The Tigers became one of the biggest stories in baseball, getting red hot the last 2 months of the season and having the best record in baseball in that span. Skubal was the ace of one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. He was the face of the nameless Tigers and led them to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years!
Skubal’s 2024 Cy Young Award Winning Year
Tarik Skubal’s 5th Major League season was a special one! He became the third Tigers pitcher (Justin Verlander 2011, and Hal Newhouser 1945) to achieve the AL Triple Crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts), capping it with a postseason appearance by Detroit and the American League Cy Young Award. He had career highs and bests in almost every statistical category. In 31 starts this season, Skubs pitched 192 innings, resulting in an 18-4 record with 228 strikeouts, 2.39 ERA, .92 WHIP, 5.9 WAR, and 22 quality starts! Skubal became must see TV every time he took the mound. The Tigers’ ace is the most dynamic pitcher the organization has had since Verlander.
There were times throughout the season when Skubs was one of two starters in the Tigers’ rotation. Manager AJ Hinch did his best “Moneyball” impersonation with the bullpen and lineup on a daily basis, with Skubal as one of the key pillars. Even with the magic, voodoo, or whatever you want to call it, Tiger fans weren’t sure who would provide the big moment for the team at any given moment. But they did know that when Skubs took the bump, the team had a chance to win. If there was any doubt of how clutch this man is, in the postseason, he posted a 2.37 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 3 starts.
Final Thoughts
Tarik Skubal is currently the face of the Detroit Tigers and will be for at least the next 2 seasons. General Manager Scott Harris must make him a number one priority for a long-term deal. Skubs put the league on notice this year as one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball. He also helped revive a Detroit fanbase that loves their Tigers and has been missing the excitement for years (Thanks, Al Avila)! Detroit is a huge baseball town, and with the Lions dominating competition, the buzz around the city was electric! Congrats to Tarik Skubal on his first Cy Young Award, and Happy 28th Birthday!!!
