You hear about baseball miracles, and every once in a while, you see one. This season, we didn’t just see a miracle—we witnessed a masterpiece. Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers’ southpaw sensation, didn’t merely have a good year; he penned his name into baseball lore with a season for the ages, culminating in winning the American League Triple Crown for pitching.
To put that into perspective, Skubal joined a fraternity so exclusive that only 21 men have ever joined it. Wins, ERA, and strikeouts—the Holy Trinity of pitching stats—all bore Skubal’s indelible mark. It was the kind of dominance that legends whisper about in dusty dugouts long after the crowds have gone home.
But here’s the thing about Tarik: the man wasn’t always destined for stardom. This isn’t a story of a golden boy who was groomed for greatness from Little League onward. No, his story is one that transcends the game itself. Nearly a decade ago, Skubal wasn’t on anybody’s radar. Throwing in the 80s, he was the kid who got one college scholarship offer—to Seattle University, no less. Just a modest invitation to play baseball, not a golden ticket to the big leagues.
Then came the dreaded Tommy John surgery as a sophomore. Most young athletes crumble under that weight, but not Skubal. He spent all of 2017 on the sidelines, watching, waiting, and dreaming. When he came back, his stuff was still good—good enough for the Detroit Tigers to take a chance on him in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. From there, it was a relentless climb, a testament to tenacity and a bit of that old baseball magic that refuses to be quantified by sabermetrics.
By 2020, Skubal was in the show, but even then, he was merely average, just another young pitcher finding his way. Then something clicked, something that turns promising players into stars. By 2022, he was turning heads before another injury, and yet, like every great, he came back stronger. This year, he was no longer merely good—he was untouchable.
Imagine: a fastball now averaging 96.8 mph, a full two ticks faster than his rookie season. That extra velocity, that extra bite—it’s not just an improvement; it’s a transformation. The Tigers went from a middling 78-84 last year to a playoff team, and make no mistake, Skubal was the engine behind that turnaround, the ace they’d been praying for since Justin Verlander left town.
Now, as he heads into the postseason, Skubal has etched his name alongside greats like Walter Johnson, Dazzy Vance, and Clayton Kershaw. We don’t yet know how far the Tigers will go, but we know this much: Tarik Skubal isn’t just part of the conversation—he is the conversation.
In a game that often romanticizes the past, we’re lucky to be watching this future Hall of Famer’s story unfold before our eyes. And if you listen closely, you can almost hear the echoes of old legends whispering his name. Tarik Skubal, the kid from Seattle University with just one shot, is now a bona fide star. And like all great stars, he’s only getting started.