Twins Batter's Home Run Was an Ironic Indicator of Tarik Skubal's Dominant Season

Blake Silverman | Aug 14, 2025

Tarik Skubal gave up a home run to a left-handed batter for the first time this season on Thursday / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

When Tarik Skubal toes the rubber, you rarely see the ball leave the park.

Heading into his start Thursday against the Twins, he had given up just 12 homers through 145 1/3 innings pitched this year. And each long ball was delivered by a right-handed batter. That was the case until Twins infielder Edouard Julien stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the third inning at Target Field.

Edouard Julien is the first lefty to hit a home run off Tarik Skubal this season 🤯 pic.twitter.com/znEWGwLe5M

— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2025

On just his third homer of the year—a no-doubter to right field—Julien became the first lefty batter to leave the park against Skubal this season.

In 23 starts this year, last season's AL Cy Young Award winner has an 11-3 record and a 2.35 ERA while retiring 187 batters on strikes. He's right near the top of the league in punch outs alongside Zack Wheeler (189) and Garrett Crochet (188). Heading into Thursday's start, only Paul Skenes had a better ERA at 2.13.

Last season, when Skubal won the Cy Young Award, he gave up just one home run to a left-handed batter and 14 against righties. As one of the best pitchers in baseball, a slip against a lefty only happens once in a blue moon. Julien should remember this one for a long time.

---

More MLB on Sports Illustrated

feed