Fastball

Detroit Tigers' Lefty Putting Up Historic Numbers Through First 11 Starts

Detroit Tigers' lefty Tarik Skubal earned the win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon, continuing his historic start to the season.
Brady Farkas|
May 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports | Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

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Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers split a double-header with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon, winning game one and dropping game two.

In that game one win, Tarik Skubal led the way by putting up another dominant outing on the mound. In the 8-0 victory, the lefty went 7.0 innings, surrendering no runs on just three hits. He walked one and struck out eight. Skubal is putting himself in prime discussion for an All-Star Game nod, as he's now 7-1 with a 2.01 ERA.

His historic start has also put him in the record books for the organization, according to Stathead:

Tarik Skubal's 2.01 ERA through 11 starts is the lowest by a #Tigers SP to start a season since Doyle Alexander since 1987.

Now healthy, Skubal is taking his game to another level, emerging as one of the best lefties in all of baseball. Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer or any other great pitcher the Tigers have had in the last 30 years haven't accomplished these numbers, which prove just how great Skubal has been.

The Tigers invested draft capital over the years in pitchers like Skubal, Matt Manning and Casey Mize, and though injuries to each of them has slowed their development, this is what the organization was envisioning when they went down that path.

Skubal made his debut in 2020 and is 30-28 lifetime with a 3.59 ERA.

The Tigers will take on the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night with first pitch slated for 7:10 p.m. ET. Jack Flaherty (DET) will pitch against Nick Pivetta (BOS).

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.