The Detroit Tigers are closing in on one of the best seasons in team history. AJ Hinch handed the ball to Tarik Skubal against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday to lead his team to its 82nd win of the season. Detroit's American League Cy Young Award winner put together another nearly flawless start. His performance put him in the record books alongside Adam Wainwright.
Wainwright was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2014, he finished in the top 10 in MVP after one of the best seasons of his career. He put up numbers that some experts thought nobody else would touch. 11 years later, Skubal has stepped up and put together a better season than the one that he dominated with in 2024.
Skubal's greatness has had Hinch in awe throughout the year. Despite his success, the ace has had some tough starts for the Tigers. However, the White Sox have plenty of young batters that he mowed down across seven scoreless innings. According to Major League Baseball's Sarah Langs, Skubal's start gave him the numbers to stand right next to Wainwright in the record books.
“Today was Tarik Skubal’s 12th scoreless start of at least six innings this season, tying 2014 Adam Wainwright for the most in a season since the mound was lowered (1969),” Langs said.
Skubal is the main reason why the Tigers are a favorite to win this year's World Series title. The Toronto Blue Jays surpassed them in the AL standings, but Detroit is right behind them in the loss column. Now, the question is whether or not the Tigers can rally around Skubal and ride his momentum in the playoffs.
Skubal has made history all season long. Saturday's start is just another example of the best pitcher in baseball performing on the biggest stage.
