There was no need for Tarik Skubal to change things up because his changeup was working.
The Detroit Tigers ace used his best off-speed pitch to fan five of the first six Minnesota Twins the hard-throwing lefty faced. He got all of them swinging.
That was the ninth time Skubal has collected five strikeouts through two innings of a game, twice more than any other Tigers pitcher since the mound was lowered in 1969, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.
Fast forward to the top of the third inning, and the 2024 AL Cy Young Award winner struck out the side. He got second baseman Brooks Lee with a four-seam fastball. Then he went back to his changeup to punch out third baseman Jonah Bride and catcher Christian Vázquez. They went down swinging, too.
After his seventh straight K, Tigers faithful erupted in Comerica Park. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Skubal walked off with well-deserved swagger that his 52-win team commands.
For the first time in his career, Skubal had eight strikeouts through three innings.
Before the next inning’s end, the 28-year-old southpaw had struck out all nine batters in Minnesota’s lineup.
Skubal didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning. It was a single. He didn’t allow a walk until the sixth inning. It was on a full count. Skubal had 11 strikeouts by that point, and his Tigers had a 3-0 lead, in large part thanks to right fielder Kerry Carpenter, who homered in the first and then hit an RBI triple in the fifth.
Skubal set a new single-game career high in the seventh inning with his ninth strikeout via changeup. That same frame, he upped his K total to 13, getting Twins first baseman Ty France looking on a 99 mph four-seam fastball.
Skubal entered the night with a 2.29 ERA and a 9-2 record to go along with his 125 strikeouts — the fourth most in baseball — and an MLB-leading 0.87 WHIP.
Then he put on a whiff-themed masterclass against a division rival.
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