Jun 29, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Comerica Park. Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Detroit Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Joins Elite Company Against Guardians

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Detroit Tigers were able to sweep their series against the Cleveland Guardians with their ace on the mound.

In an extra innings affair on Sunday, the Tigers were able to complete the sweep against the Guardians with a come-from-behind victory.

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The sweep against Cleveland has helped further separate Detroit from Cleveland in the American League Central standings, with this division feeling like it is wrapped up as of now.

Unfortunately for Tarik Skubal on Sunday, he didn’t receive any run support early on to get the win, in what ended up being a historic start. It took the Tigers a bit to get going on offense, but a home run in the 10th inning by Trey Sweeney provided them with enough runs to get the win.

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However, this game was all about the performance of their talented southpaw who joined some elite company with the win, according to Justin Havens on X (formerly Twitter) who goes by the user name Nugget Chef and co-hosts the Baseball is Dead podcast.

Tarik Skubal is the 4th left-handed pitcher in MLB history to have consecutive starts featuring 0 R, 0/1 BB, 3 or fewer hits and 10+ K, joining Rube Waddell in 1907, Clayton Kershaw in 2015 and James Paxton in 2019.
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) July 6, 2025

Skubal joined some of the best left-hander pitchers of all-time by being able to record his third game of the season without allowing a run, walk, all while striking out 10 batters.

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Joining the company of Sandy Kofax, Randy Johnson, and Clayton Kershaw goes to show the caliber of pitcher that Skubal has become. With all three either in the Hall of Fame already or will be when his career is done in the case of Kershaw, Detroit’s southpaw has proven to be one of the best in the game.

Even though Skubal won the AL Cy Young and the Triple Crown last season, he is on pace for an even better campaign in 2025. That is rather shocking to say, but the underlying metrics for the southpaw are extremely impressive.

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Joining the company of some of the best southpaws in the history of the game goes to show how good Skubal has become for the Tigers.

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This article first appeared on Detroit Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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