This article is presented by Antonio’s Italian Cucina

13 Strikeouts

94 Pitches

103 MPH Fastball to cap off a complete game.

Tarik Skubal just threw as good of a game as you’re ever going to see. His start against Cleveland:

9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 13 K

94 pitches, 72 strikes

Final pitch: 102.6 mph, the hardest of his career

26 swings and misses

First CG of his career
pic.twitter.com/SzSVHd5fV5

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 25, 2025

Reading those stats almost makes it feel like the early 2010’s – when tuning into the Tigers game on a night that Justin Verlander pitched felt like a legitimate no-hitter possibility. But these numbers are not JV’s numbers. They’re numbers from an absolute maestro performance from Tarik Skubal over the Memorial Day Weekend, which put an end to a brief 3-game skid against the Cleveland Guardians.

That outing from Skubal was some true, top-tier ace shit. The best pitchers in baseball have an ability to stop the bleeding once the inevitable skid happens in a long-ass baseball season, and I’m definitely guilty of second-guessing the Tigers during that series against Cleveland, thinking to myself “uh-oh, here comes the cooldown after having the hottest start in the MLB.” Since then, the Tigers have bounced back to form, and as I’m writing this, they currently have a 3-0 lead against San Francisco and look to take the series win.

Having said all of this, it’s time to stop playing around and sign Tarik Skubal. I wasn’t 100% sold in the offseason because I’m a pessimist by nature:

 

It’s one unreal season, but unsustainable..

He does have some injury history..

I don’t think the Tigers are in that win-now mode..

 

But, I am ready to believe. A third of the way through the season, this team is one of the best teams in the AL, and arguably the MLB. And quite frankly, the money is inconsequential if you’re going to flush out your rosters with cheap, young players and talent from your elite farm system. We all know that with Boras as his agent, you’re going to have to pay out the ass. But, there is no pitcher in baseball that I trust more than Tarik Skubal right now and each time he takes the mound, he puts up performances that put him in legitimate Cy Young contention again. He is the anchor of this fantastic starting rotation, and because of him, you can slot guys like Olson and Flaherty in more comfortable spots in the rotation.

Illitch, if you’re reading this, sign Skubal. I will gladly pay one more dollar for my Hot N’ Ready if it means I get to watch meaningful baseball deep into the summer and see a 9+ strikeout performance every five days. Hell, I’ll even forgo a 30+ year old middling defenseman offseason signing from the Wings this summer if it means a few more million towards Skubal’s contract. It’s the summer of Skubal, baby. Pay the man his money.