Tigers' Tarik Skubal Makes MLB History Against Guardians

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin M. Groe | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 5:12 PM ET

Left-handed starting pitcher Tarik Skubal is in his sixth major-league season, having debuted for the Detroit Tigers in 2020.

During his breakout 2024 season, Skubal earned his first All-Star appearance, won the pitching Triple Crown and was a unanimous Cy Young Award winner. He anchored Detroit’s remarkable second-half surge that snapped a ten-year playoff drought.

His postseason performance underscored that dominance: across three career playoff outings, Skubal went 1–1 with a 2.37 ERA and 20 strikeouts. In his first two starts, he delivered 13 scoreless innings, proving to be unfazed on baseball's biggest stage.

In 2025, Skubal has further cemented his place in MLB history.

On Sunday against the Cleveland Guardians, he etched his name alongside MLB left-handed royalty by becoming just the fourth lefty ever to log at least three starts in a single season with zero runs allowed, zero walks and ten or more strikeouts—joining Sandy Koufax (1965), Randy Johnson (2004) and Clayton Kershaw (2015).

Tarik Skubal is the 4th left-handed pitcher in MLB history to have at least 3 starts in a single season featuring 0 R, 0 BB and 10+ K, joining Sandy Koufax in 1965, Randy Johnson in 2004 and Clayton Kershaw in 2015.
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Through 12 starts in 2025, Skubal is 10–2 with a 2.15 ERA—down from last season’s 2.39—and has struck out 138 batters, cementing his status as the game’s best arm. He was the first pitcher in the American League this year to reach ten wins, and with both his WHIP and FIP lower than a year ago, the southpaw is only getting better.

His excellence has powered Detroit to the American League's best record at 56–34. The Tigers hold a commanding 12.5 game lead in the AL Central, and with their ace firing on all cylinders, they look well positioned to make another deep October run.

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

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