Tigers Make Historic Tarik Skubal Announcement After First Career Shutout

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated May 25, 2025 3:38 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers closed out a sluggish four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at home on Sunday afternoon. After dropping the first three games, they were desperate to avoid a sweep—and handing the ball to star pitcher Tarik Skubal proved to be all they needed.

Skubal dominated from start to finish, leading the Tigers to a 5–0 win and delivering the first shutout of his career.

The left-hander was nearly flawless, allowing only two hits while striking out 13 over nine innings. Even more impressive, he accomplished the feat on just 94 pitches—72 of them strikes—showcasing masterful command throughout the game.

Tarik Skubal just threw as good of a game as you're ever going to see. His start against Cleveland:

9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 13 K

94 pitches, 72 strikes

Final pitch: 102.6 mph, the hardest of his career

26 swings and misses

First CG of his career
pic.twitter.com/SzSVHd5fV5
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 25, 2025

Following the outing, the Tigers announced a historic milestone tied to Skubal’s performance: he became the first pitcher in franchise history to throw a complete game with zero walks, no more than two hits allowed, and 13 or more strikeouts.

The last MLB pitcher to accomplish that rare feat was Jacob deGrom on April 21, 2021.

Tarik Skubal is the first pitcher in Tigers history to throw a complete game with zero walks, no more than two hits, and 13+ strikeouts.

The last Major League pitcher to do so was Jacob deGrom on April 23, 2021. pic.twitter.com/fScGwpVEE3
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) May 25, 2025

Skubal’s final pitch in the ninth inning was clocked at a blazing 102.6 mph—not only the fastest pitch of the day, but also the fastest of his MLB career. The Guardians had 26 swings and misses against him, further highlighting just how dominant he was.

The historic numbers from Skubal’s outing are eye-popping, but they’re no fluke. He has quietly become one of the best pitchers in all of baseball dating back to the start of last season, when he emerged as Detroit’s clear ace over a full campaign. He showed flashes in 2023, though he made only 15 appearances that year.

Skubal is coming off a stellar 2024 season, where he won the AL Cy Young Award, earned an MLB All-Star nod, and posted a 2.39 ERA over 31 starts. With Sunday’s win, he improved to 5–2 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.49, with 92 strikeouts already logged.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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