Tigers Superstar Tarik Skubal Has Stern Message for His WBC Critics
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Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal loved his World Baseball Classic experience so much he unintentionally stirred up a wave of controversy.
After he made his start against Great Britain on Saturday in Houston, he was expected to return to Florida to continue spring training with the Tigers. He had already rankled some critics after deciding to pitch just one WBC game. Then, after he admitted he was overcome by the emotions of playing for his country, he second-guessed himself and told reporters that he was considering pitching in another game.
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He ultimately decided to stick to the plan and returned to Tigers camp. When he did, he was met with more questions from reporters, including The Athletic’s Jayson Stark (subscription required), who wrote about Skubal’s critics and whether they had an impact on his decision.
Tarik Skubal Has Message for Critics
Skubal made clear what he thought of those who were questioning his motives or his patriotism after his appearance with Team USA, whether those critics put their name on that criticism or just hid behind an avatar on social media.
“It’s just not fair,” Skubal said. “But that’s part of the business. It’s part of the game. If they know me, though, and they know me on a personal level, and they know what my peers think of me, I don’t think it’s fair to say those things.”
He said that he consulted with many of his WBC teammates about his decision, along with the Tigers and his agent, Scott Boras. He also looked at the calendar and said that a start for Team USA in the championship game would have made him unable to pitch for the Tigers on opening day.
As for any outside noise, he paid no attention to it.
“No, because a lot of those opinions and narratives are created by people that don’t know me, you know?” he said. “And I think if you ask anyone in the clubhouse, my peers … you ask any peers in that clubhouse, on Team USA, they’ve all been pretty vocally supportive of what I’ve got going on.”
The reigning AL Cy Young winner enters the season shooting to join a handful of pitchers that have won three of the awards and to become the third pitcher to win at least three Cy Youngs in a row.
He has been brilliant the past two seasons. In 2024 he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts as he won the American League pitching triple crown. That helped him win his first Cy Young and finish seventh in AL MVP voting.
Last year his won-loss record wasn’t quite as good, as he went 13-6. But he bettered his 2024 season in other respects, including a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts. He won his second Cy Young and finished fifth in AL MVP voting.
Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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