Tarik Skubal loves Detroit. And on the eve of his first start since winning the 2024 American League Cy Young Award, the Tigers ace isn’t afraid to show it.
Skubal, who earned the Opening Day start for his club on Thursday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, took to social media on Wednesday night to issue a love letter to the city he now calls home.
“Detroit is a sports town and a slept-on city,” Skubal wrote. “You don’t understand this place or the people in it until you’ve been here.”
Skubal has gotten the chance to learn that firsthand.
Born in California and raised in Arizona, Skubal was a ninth-round Draft pick by the Tigers out of Seattle University in 2018. Despite growing up out West, Skubal insists he and the Motor City have plenty in common.
“As I’ve learned more about our city, it’s clear that Detroit has faced its fair share of adversity,” Skubal wrote.
So has he. The lefty had just one Division I offer out of high school, underwent Tommy John surgery in college and had surgery on the flexor tendon in his left elbow while in the Majors, missing much of the 2022 and ’23 seasons.
But just like Detroit has roared back lately, so has Skubal. He was flat-out dominant in 2024, capturing the AL Triple Crown along with the Cy Young and leading the Tigers to the ALDS against the Guardians.
And before Thursday’s start at Dodger Stadium kicks off his and the Tigers’ attempt to follow it up, Skubal made sure to fire up his adopted fanbase in a special way.
“So, say what you want about us … about Detroit,” Skubal wrote. “We have unfinished business, so … let’s run it back.”