Detroit Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Continues to Rack Up Strikeouts at Historic Pace

Tarik Skubal didn't have his cleanest outing against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, but he still managed to join an exclusive list in the all-time history books.

The Detroit Tigers' ace ended the first inning with a strikeout, then added two more in each of the next five frames. Skubal had given up just five hits and two runs to that point in the contest.

Boston finally drew a walk in the sixth, then chased Skubal off the mound with an RBI single. Both runners that Tyler Holton inherited from Skubal scored, so the reigning AL Cy Young's final line wasn't particularly pretty in spite of his 11 punchouts.

Still, Detroit went on to win in walk-off fashion, improving to 6-3 when Skubal pitches.

The 28-year-old southpaw is now 4-2 with a 2.67 ERA and 0.926 WHIP on the season, racking up 71 strikeouts compared to six walks. Just in his last seven appearances, Skubal boasts a 1.87 ERA and 0.785 WHIP with 61 strikeouts and two walks.

According to Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Skubal is the third left-handed pitcher in MLB history to record at least 60 strikeouts and no more than two walks over a seven-start stretch. Clayton Kershaw achieved the feat in 2016, while Cliff Lee did so between 2013 and 2014.

All three of the players in the elite club have won at least one Cy Young Award, with Kershaw claiming three over the course of his career.