Tarik Skubal is thriving under the pressure of Major League Baseball’s postseason.
The Detroit Tigers’ standout pitcher delivered an impressive performance in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, throwing seven scoreless innings with 92 pitches and recording eight strikeouts. His efforts were crucial for keeping the Tigers in the game amid a tense scoreless matchup.
Skubal was perfect for the first four innings but faced challenges in the fifth and sixth, managing to escape both situations with inning-ending double plays. In the fifth, after giving up a double and hitting a batter, he forced Andrés Giménez into a ground ball that resulted in a 4-6-3 double play, leaving a runner stranded in scoring position.
In the sixth inning, the Guardians threatened again with two hits, placing runners on the corners with one out. However, Skubal remained composed, inducing a grounder from David Fry that was expertly turned into another double play by the Tigers’ defense.
After completing the double play, Skubal exited the mound and interacted with the Cleveland crowd, encouraging them for more noise.
Despite Skubal’s stellar performance, the game remained scoreless as the Tigers’ hitters only managed four hits, all coming against starter Matthew Boyd during the first 4⅔ innings, and failed to capitalize on opportunities with runners in scoring position.
The Tigers and Guardians will have an off day on Tuesday, with Game 3 set to take place on Wednesday at Comerica Park in Detroit.