Detroit Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal on Historic Run Only Matched By Justin Verlander

Tarik Skubal has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball since the end of the 2023 season, as he is now one of two players in the last 50 years of Detroit Tigers history to post a sub-2.00 ERA over a 21-start span.

Jun 19, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Truist Park. | Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Tarik Skubal may not have the same Hall of Fame resume as Justin Verlander, but the emerging Detroit Tigers lefty has carved out a spot in the franchise record books right along side him.

Skubal is 9-3 with a 2.32 ERA, 0.938 WHIP, 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.9 WAR through 16 starts in 2024. That dominance is a continuation of his torrid finish to 2023, when he went 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA, 0.600 WHIP and 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings across five starts in September.

Over his last 21 starts, dating back to last season, Skubal boasts a 1.98 ERA. According to Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Skubal is one of two Tigers pitchers to boast a sub-2.00 ERA over a 21-start span in the last 50 years of franchise history.

The only other Detroit pitcher to achieve the feat is Justin Verlander, who did so between the end of 2011 and the start of 2012.

Tarik Skubal has a 1.98 ERA over his last 21 starts.

The only Tigers pitchers in the last 50 years to have a 21-start stretch with an ERA below 2.00 are Skubal (2023-24) and Justin Verlander (2011-12).

— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) July 1, 2024

There aren't many pitchers more celebrated in Tigers history than Verlander, of course, who went 183-114 with a 3.49 ERA, 1.191 WHIP and a 56.6 WAR with the club between 2005 and 2017. He won an MVP, a Cy Young and a Rookie of the Year during his time in Detroit, in addition to two runner-ups and another third-place finish in Cy Young voting over the years.

Skubal is among the leading contenders to win Cy Young here in 2024, taking an important step forward in his meteoric development. He is 32-30 with a 3.55 ERA, 1.104 WHIP and 9.0 WAR since making his MLB debut in 2020, at which point he was a top-50 prospect in baseball.

The 27-year-old left-hander will take the mound for the Tigers when they open up their series with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, trying to extend his historic stretch to 22 games. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET.

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