Tarik Skubal Makes Brutal MLB History in Tigers Back-Breaking Loss to Guardians
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In 2024, the Detroit Tigers went on an unprecedented run in the second half to earn a playoff spot for the first time in nine years. This season, they are on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Last year, they were sellers ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Several veterans were moved, but the team jelled and went on a crazy run. In 2025, the team was a buyer, but their returns were underwhelming in the eyes of many.
It turns out the naysayers were right. Not enough was done ahead of the deadline, which has contributed to the team’s fall from grace. For as well as they played in 2024, they are playing that poorly in 2025.
Their lead in the American League Central has evaporated, overtaken by the Cleveland Guardians. The worst part is not even their superstar ace could end their slide.
Tarik Skubal Picks Bad Time To Make Ugly MLB History
Tarik Skubal started the first game of the series on Tuesday. It was an attempt for the Tigers to not only get on track, but ensure their ace would be available to start in the season finale on Sunday if need be.
Consistently, he has stepped up and gotten the job done when Detroit needed it most. He was well on his way to doing that again on Tuesday. The Tigers were up 2-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning before things unraveled when some ugly MLB history was made.
As shared by OptaSTATS, Skubal is the first Cy Young Award winner who had an error, wild pitch and balk all in the same inning. It could not have come at a worse time. The Guardians scored three runs in that inning to take a lead they would not relinquish.
Tonight marked the first time in MLB history a former Cy Young winner (Tarik Skubal) had an error, a wild pitch and a balk all in the same inning. pic.twitter.com/Vb6REYRpcZ
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 24, 2025
There wasn’t a single hard-hit ball in the inning that gave Cleveland the lead. It was a multitude of mistakes and mis-hit balls that allowed the Guardians to take the lead and win this game to put themselves into first place in the AL Central.
That unwanted history that Skubal is now part of could very well be the final nail in the coffin for Detroit. They will now be relying on pitchers who have consistently underwhelmed in recent weeks, which is a major reason why they are in this situation.
With five games remaining in the regular season, can the Tigers find any positives to grasp onto and build some momentum to save the campaign? They have to finish ahead of the Guardians in the standings because they do not own the tiebreaker, either.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.