The Detroit Tigers face the Los Angeles Dodgers on Opening Day with Tarik Skubal on the hill. After a Cy Young season last year, the lefty has massive expectations for 2025. The Tigers made the playoffs and Skubal was key to their upset of the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card Series. Ahead of his Cy Young defense, Skubal penned a letter to Detroit fans and posted it on social media.

“Dear Detroit, Even though I am from a small town in Arizona, we have a lot more in common than you might think,” Skubal wrote. “As I've learned more about our city, it's clear that Detroit has faced its fair share of adversity which at times put its future in question. For me…I only had one offer to play Division 1 baseball, some pretty difficult injuries, and other setbacks that made my future feel uncertain. But this city is resilient and this team is resilient.”

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Skubal continues talking about the Tigers' hometown. “Detroit is a sports town and a slept-on city. You don't understand this place of the people in it unless you've been here. The grit and the grind. The hustle and the attitude. The culture and authenticity. But also, a community where neighbors take care of each other and lifted each other up.”

Skubal finishes with “It's a new era of Tigers baseball and we're building something different. A new standard has been set and we're about to clock in like the blue-collar people of this city. So say what you want about us…about Detroit…we have unfinished business. So…let's run it back.

The Tigers instilled energy in Detroit baseball fans for the first time in a decade. With the Lions at the top of the NFC and Red Wings pushing for the playoffs, it is a new era in the Motor City. And no athlete exemplifies that more than Skubal.