One Surprising Player Who Has Not Performed Well Against Mariners This Year
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Today is what baseball is all about; it's an athlete's dream. It is a game five, winner-take-all showdown in the playoffs. The stakes are incredibly high between the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners as a trip to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series is on the line.
The Tigers have had a rough go of things in their last six weeks, maybe even two months and it isn't surprising to find that many players had rough stretches. Literally, anywhere from their starting rotation to the offense, except for Tarik Skubal. It isn't often that Skubal doesn't do exactly what you expect of him.
Of course, Skubal has received the nod for the do-or-die game five, and there isn't a better pitcher one would want on the mound in this situation. However, he has had a rough time against the Mariners this year. It is already known that he is going to make or break this game, but hopefully, he performs like the ace he is and not how he has looked in his previous three matchups.
Skubal vs. Mariners
Skubal faced off with the Mariners twice during the regular season and once in this series. His strikeouts are never the issue. In those three matchups he has had 22 combined and nine in the last outing alone (ALDS Game two). However, what is uncommon of him is hits, homeruns, runs and walks.
It is rare to see many negative things on a Skubal stat sheet, but there are a few blemishes against Seattle. After those three starts he has a combined 15 hits and nine runs with four homers. On top of those absurd numbers (for Skubal, anyway), he walked an additional six batters.
Truly, it is hard to believe that Skubal isn't going to be exactly what the Tigers need to push them over the finish line into the ALCS. Sometimes the numbers don't lie, though, but if they do lose, they'll live with it if it is at the arm of Skubal.
Game 5. We live or die by Tarik Skubal. pic.twitter.com/gQSMGiOyqv
— Tigers Torkmoil (@bythewaybro) October 8, 2025
Regardless of how he has looked against the Mariners, don't forget who he is. Skubal recently etched his mark in the Tigers' history books with a 14-strikeout effort in game one of the wild card series a week ago. He is built for this moment.
The Tigers' offense finally found their groove in the last game, and with Skubal, they could easily be moving on to face the Blue Jays.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.