Tarik Skubal Turning Page to Game 1 After Tigers' Historic Collapse
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For much of the year, it would have been crazy to suggest the Detroit Tigers would finish the regular season without securing one of the two top seeds in the American League.
They had been the best team in baseball for the majority of the campaign and seemed to have built up a large enough lead in the AL Central standings where they would have assuredly been one of the six division winners in the sport.
But a historic collapse took place for the Tigers, with things going all the way down to the wire in Game 162 of the regular season where they were not able to stop the slide they had been on in the month of September.
So instead of getting a first-round bye into the Division Series round, they'll have to face off against the Cleveland Guardians, making their chances of having a deep playoff run this time around fairly slim.
Tarik Skubal Ready for Game 1
The good news is the Tigers can get the disappointing taste of their collapse out of their mouths by taking down their rivals in this Wild Card matchup. And because it's a short series, Detroit should have the advantage on the mound since their superstar ace Tarik Skubal is set to pitch Game 1.
"All that matters is whenever we get to Game 1," Skubal said, per Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press. "Executing that game is all that matters. Game 1, Game 2, get to the next round — that's really all that matters."
It's hard to argue with that. While the collapse by the Tigers was the biggest blown division lead in Major League Baseball history, a lot of that can be swept under the rug with a win over the Guardians in this Wild Card series.
The @CleGuardians and @Tigers duked it out until the final day of the season for an AL Central title.
— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2025
Starting on Tuesday, they meet again for a spot in the ALDS. pic.twitter.com/Ei6pzQR9LG
Not only would Detroit be getting a bit of revenge against Cleveland for winning the AL Central this season, but they would also pay back the elimination the Guardians handed the Tigers in the American League Division Series last year.
So as Detroit gets ready for this familiar matchup once again, they should be feeling confident that Skubal is ready to take the mound. Because the superstar ace who might have secured his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award is ready for the moment.
"This is why you play the game," Skubal said. "This is what you prepare for. This is why you do all the stuff in the offseason that you do. This is why you spend the last seven months taking care of yourself daily. It's literally why I prepare the way I do."
