The Detroit Tigers dropped a 5-2 game to the Cleveland Guardians, and the defeat pushed their AL Central collapse even further. Reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal failed to stop the skid and instead delivered an inning that will be remembered for the wrong reasons. He committed an error, threw a wild pitch, and balked, all in the same frame. MLB had never seen a Cy Young winner commit all three miscues in one inning. The bizarre sequence defined another frustrating night for Tigers and exposed the deeper issues fueling their freefall.
Tonight marked the first time in MLB history a former Cy Young winner (Tarik Skubal) had an error, a wild pitch and a balk all in the same inning. pic.twitter.com/Vb6REYRpcZ
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 24, 2025
The Tigers carried urgency into the night, hoping to halt their skid, but the collapse only deepened. Tarik Skubal had anchored them all season, yet even he could not stop the unraveling. His mistakes opened the door for the Guardians, and Cleveland turned every chance into runs that pushed Detroit further into frustration. Every mistake now feels magnified as the Tigers let their season teeter on the edge of a complete breakdown.
The Guardians thrived on Detroit’s unraveling. They swung with timing, stayed patient at the plate, and turned miscues into runs. They stayed calm while the Tigers cracked, and in doing so, Cleveland showed why they continue to play as a steady force in the AL Central. The contrast between the two clubs stood out. One played with confidence, while the other waited for disaster to strike.
This loss revealed a recurring theme. The Tigers stumble into their own mistakes and fail to finish games. Defensive lapses, bullpen meltdowns, and quiet bats have erased progress that once hinted at a brighter season. Even their ace now finds himself caught in the storm. Skubal authored a bonkers inning that fans will remember as a nightmare. His struggles captured the essence of a team spiraling and searching for answers as the standings slip away.
Detroit’s collapse has reached a dangerous tipping point. Chasing the Guardians feels secondary to simply surviving, and the haunting question remains: can the Tigers claw their way out before the season caves in?
