DETROIT -- The first time Dillon Dingler got behind the plate to catch Tarik Skubal in a live session this Spring Training, he took a ball off his forearm. It wasn¡¯t any fault of his, or a sign of any bad chemistry between the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner and the young backup catcher.
¡°I spiked one bad,¡± Skubal said. ¡°That¡¯s on me.¡±
It was a total accident, but in the catching fraternity, it was room for ribbing.
¡°Wear it,¡± fellow catcher Jake Rogers joked at the time from his spot behind the fence.
Dingler did.
¡°They linger for probably a day,¡± Dingler said of the bruise. ¡°That's about it.¡±
Rogers caught all 3,130 pitches Skubal threw last year, regular season and postseason. Skubal hadn¡¯t thrown to another catcher in a regular-season game since Sept. 3, 2023. Their rapport is so strong that Skubal thanked Rogers in his award speech, then bought matching watches for Rogers and himself that he presented in Spring Training. When Skubal is asked about the reasoning for a pitch in a game, he refers to Rogers, because Skubal rarely ever shakes his sign.
Still, manager A.J. Hinch believes in preparedness. As great as Rogers and Skubal work together, Hinch wanted to be ready for the day when Rogers might not be able to catch him. So, he had Skubal work some with Dingler in Spring Training, including Skubal¡¯s first Grapefruit League start.
¡°It was definitely a good foundation, because I'd never caught him,¡± Dingler said. ¡°I'd caught some bullpens from him, but having a game-like situation in a Spring Training game definitely helped me out.¡±
When Rogers felt a twinge in his left oblique on a swing in the indoor batting cages Tuesday morning, the scenario played out.
¡°This is what you prepare for,¡± Hinch said after the Tigers¡¯ 5-0 win over the Yankees at Comerica Park.
While Rogers was examined by the team medical staff, Dingler met with Skubal and pitching coach Chris Fetter and picked up the game plan that Rogers and the staff had put together. Dingler was already familiar with it, having prepared to catch Jack Flaherty on Wednesday. Still, there¡¯s a difference between pairing Flaherty¡¯s stuff or Skubal¡¯s arsenal against Yankee hitters. And each catcher has a different process. Dingler, for instance, has learned to group similar hitters into categories to help figure out how to attack them and lean on past matchups.
About an hour later, Dingler and Skubal took the field together and didn¡¯t miss a beat, teaming up for six scoreless innings, no walks and six strikeouts. Dingler, meanwhile, provided one of four Tigers homers on the day in support.
While the Tigers looked undeterred by a first-pitch temperature of 34 degrees and a chilly wind blowing out to left, Skubal ensured that the weather wasn¡¯t the only factor freezing the Yankees. After escaping back-to-back first-inning singles with a 99.4 mph fastball that caught the outside edge for a called third strike on Anthony Volpe, Skubal rolled through the Yankees¡¯ lineup, retiring 16 consecutive batters from the first inning until Paul Goldschmidt¡¯s infield single with one out in the sixth.
Skubal didn¡¯t need a feel for many breaking pitches, challenging Yankees hitters with a barrage of fastballs and changeups. His four-seamer averaged 97.4 mph and drew six of his 11 swinging strikes. He mixed in enough sliders to keep hitters off-balance for seven called strikes.
¡°I really didn't want to shake [a sign] today at all, because I wanted to show him that I trust him,¡± Skubal said. ¡°And I shook one time because I missed a pitch and I thought I could execute it again and get the result I wanted, and I didn't. So I probably shouldn't have shook.¡±
Their Spring Training work together helps build that trust. But so does hard work.
¡°When these cameras are all gone and you watch [the catchers] sit in their lockers and do their thing, go over scouting reports -- that's where you get that trust from,¡± Skubal said. ¡°He's great back there. Our whole catching department's great back there. Obviously Rog, we have a pretty special connection; I think that's pretty clear. But they'll all be great.¡±
The Tigers don¡¯t have a timetable for Rogers¡¯ absence, but the nature of oblique injuries means Skubal and Dingler could be working together for a while. Tuesday was a good start. Still, there will be some adjustment.
¡°He's a little bit bigger,¡± Skubal said, ¡°and when he's throwing down to second, you've got to get out of the way, because it's freaking coming in. Rog will get it over the mound. This thing's coming downhill.
¡°I told him one thing: Don't hit me in the back when you're throwing.¡±