Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Comerica Park on April 20. Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Detroit Tigers' Cy Young Winner Making Extremely Rare History of Last 125 Years

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated May 10, 2025 9:17 AM ET

The Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers in a 2-1 pitcher's duel on Friday night at Comerica Park.

The win moves Detroit to 26-13 on the season, as they continue to have the best record in the American League, while the loss moves Texas to 18-21. They are in fourth place in the American League West and one of the more disappointing teams in the league right now.

The story of this game was Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who went seven dominant innings, striking out 12. He walked none, allowing just two hits and one run in all. He also joined an extremely rare group in baseball history, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

50+ strikeouts and no more than 1 walk in single-season 6-outing span, at least last 125 seasons:

2025 Tarik Skubal
2021 Gerrit Cole (2 overlapping spans)
2021 Corbin Burnes
2019 Yu Darvish (2 overlapping)
2015 Max Scherzer
2002 Curt Schilling
2000 Pedro Martinez

50+ strikeouts and no more than 1 walk in single-season 6-outing span, at least last 125 seasons:

2025 Tarik Skubal
2021 Gerrit Cole (2 overlapping spans)
2021 Corbin Burnes
2019 Yu Darvish (2 overlapping)
2015 Max Scherzer
2002 Curt Schilling
2000 Pedro Martinez https://t.co/SJa2D4QWEk
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 10, 2025

After winning the Cy Young last season, Skubal is back to his dominant ways this season. The 28-year-old is now 4-2 with a 2.08 ERA. He's struck out 60 batters in 47.2 innings. Opponents are hitting just .210 off him.

A six-year veteran of the Tigers, Skubal is 45-33 lifetime with a 3.27 ERA.

The Tigers and Rangers will play again on Saturday night with first pitch coming at 6:10 p.m. ET. Jacob deGrom (TEX) will pitch against Jack Flaherty (DET).

deGrom, a former Cy Young winner himself, is 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA this year. Flaherty is 1-4 with a 3.79.

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

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