Detroit has had its share of greats in the past — but tonight, Tarik Skubal just made history and stunned the baseball world.
With two postseason games containing at least 13 strikeouts, Skubal joins a legendary group previously held by Gerrit Cole and Bob Gibson — two of the most notorious names to ever stand on the pitcher’s mound in MLB history. But what makes Skubal truly special: he’s the only one in history to do it in the same postseason.
That’s right — no one, not Gibson, not Cole, not Randy Johnson, not Pedro Martínez — has ever shaken an opponent like that in one fateful October.
In the first game, Skubal came out like a storm. The Detroit lefty left the offense almost paralyzed – 13 strikeouts, only a few hits, and a cold, impenetrable stare. Comerica Park stood up when he left the field – knowing they had just witnessed something extraordinary.
But just when everyone thought it was just a brief peak, Skubal returned in the next round – and did it again. A second time, another 13 strikeouts. Twice in the same postseason. A feat that even icons like Gibson – who threw the legendary 17 strikeouts in the 1968 World Series – had never accomplished in the same season.
To understand how extraordinary this was, just look at the two names that accompanied him on the list.
Gerrit Cole – the Yankees’ pitching monster, MVP of every October in recent memory, used to give Houston and Cleveland nightmares with his powerful 13-strikeout games.
And Bob Gibson – the man who changed the rules. Gibson had an incredible 1.12 ERA in 1968. He dominated the World Series so much that MLB lowered mound height the following year just to give batters a chance to survive.
And now, Tarik Skubal is on par with them – and has the advantage of doing it in the same postseason.
Tarik Skubal wasn’t a big star from the start. He wasn’t a top draft pick, he wasn’t a hyped talent. But every pitch, every cut like a scalpel, every steely stare – it all got him here.
At 27, Skubal is turning the Detroit Tigers into a team to be feared again. No longer a hopeless rebuilder, they now have a true “ace” – someone who can make any lineup bow.
Detroit has had icons like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer… but what Skubal is doing could surpass even those legacies.
When he steps on the mound, it feels like a return to the days when Gibson dominated the World Series – when every pitch was a declaration of war, every inning an epic.
If the Tigers continue to advance, and Skubal throws another 13-strikeout game, people will no longer call him “a young prospect”.
They will call him a new legend.
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