The Detroit Tigers cruised to a comfortable 5-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, as Tarik Skubal made more franchise history, tossing seven shutout innings in his stellar 2025 season.
Skubal became the first pitcher in Tigers history to record 11 starts of at least six scoreless innings in a single season, surpassing Hall of Famer Denny McLain’s mark from 1969. His outing against Kansas City featured four hits allowed, two walks, and four strikeouts across 93 pitches. Although renowned as a strikeout-heavy pitcher, Skubal relied on soft contact, holding the Royals scoreless despite multiple scoring opportunities.
Kansas City’s best chance came in the third inning when Maikel Garcia doubled and advanced to third with one out. Skubal struck out Vinnie Pasquantino with a 98 mph fastball and forced Salvador Perez into a weak groundout to end the threat. Across the first seven innings, the Royals left six runners stranded.
On the other side, Royals starter Michael Wacha matched Skubal through four innings, allowing just one hit. However, Detroit’s offense broke through in the fifth. After Spencer Torkelson walked and Zach McKinstry singled, Jake Rogers, who entered the day with five hits in eight career at-bats against Wacha, lined a two-run triple to deep center. Royals center fielder Tyler Tolbert misplayed the ball at the wall, allowing both runs to score.
The rally continued as Colt Keith added an RBI double and Gleyber Torres singled to extend the lead to 4-0. Wacha exited after 4⅔ innings, charged with four runs on five hits and a walk, with four strikeouts. Detroit added a fifth run in the eighth when Riley Greene scored on a passed ball by reliever Sam Long. Rogers finished the day 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
The Tigers' bullpen backed Skubal to close out the shutout. Trade deadline acquisition Kyle Finnegan worked a scoreless eighth, extending his streak to 14⅓ innings without an earned run since joining the Tigers. Rafael Montero, also acquired at the deadline, retired the side in order in the ninth.
Detroit improved to 80-58, becoming the second MLB team to reach 80 wins this season, behind only the Milwaukee Brewers. The Tigers continue to hold the best record in the American League, sitting a half-game ahead of Toronto (79-58), while extending its AL Central lead to 9½ games over Kansas City.
Tarik Skubal lowered his ERA to 2.18, slightly ahead of Boston’s Garrett Crochet (2.40), with both pitchers battling for the 2025 AL Cy Young Award. A year after claiming the award, Skubal is right back in the thick of the Cy Young race, and his latest record-setting outing has enhanced both his chances and the Tigers' push for their first championship since 1984.
