The defining moment of Tarik Skubal’s season so far came on May 25 at Comerica Park, when he fired a 102.6-mph fastball to strike out Cleveland’s Gabriel Arias — his 94th and final pitch in a dominant two-hit, 13-strikeout shutout. That pitch was electric, and Skubal stood tall on the mound to soak it all in.
Like a marathon runner sprinting across the finish line, he pushed through with everything he had.
“I’m an emotional player,” Skubal said after the game. “I feed off the energy in the stadium. When everyone’s up, moments like that can happen.”
He’s expecting that same energy to fuel him Tuesday night when he takes the mound at Truist Park.
“I plan to have a lot of fun,” Skubal said during All-Star media day. “Facing the game’s best hitters brings out your best. I’m excited for the challenge.”
Since that memorable shutout, fans have been watching two things closely: how long he can keep hitters hitless, and how hard he can throw at the end of games.
Statcast data shows Skubal has thrown 17 pitches at 100 mph or more this season — and four of them came in the final inning of his starts. Three were to his last batter. Like former Tigers greats Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, he’s showing off late-game velocity.
“I put a lot of focus on finishing strong,” Skubal said recently. “I don’t want to finish a game and feel like I had more left. I’ve always emptied the tank late, but now it’s maybe just more obvious. When you know it’s your last inning, it’s a little like a closer’s mindset — you’re finishing it off.”
All of that raises an intriguing question: How hard could Skubal throw if he only needed to pitch one or two innings — like in the All-Star Game?
“Well, last year I thought I’d have a little extra in the tank, but I didn’t,” he admitted.
In last year’s All-Star Game, Skubal needed just 10 pitches to retire the side in the second inning. He barely got going before it was over. His top fastball that night was 96.3 mph — actually 1.3 mph slower than his season average. He still seemed slightly puzzled by that outing.
“I don’t really know what happened,” he said. “I didn’t feel that adrenaline. It was weird. I thought I’d be throwing 99.”
There’s a tradition in Detroit of All-Star pitchers unleashing their hardest stuff. In 2012, Verlander started the All-Star Game and, egged on by teammate Prince Fielder, threw several 100+ mph pitches — topping out at 101 — but also gave up five runs in a single inning. At that point in his career, Verlander was known for building his velocity gradually through a game, but that night he wanted to entertain.
“This is for the fans,” Verlander said then. “Nobody wants to see me throw 90 and hit my spots.”
Don’t expect Skubal to go full showman, though Tigers All-Star teammates like Riley Greene, Javier Báez, Gleyber Torres, and Zach McKinstry might encourage him to light up the radar gun. The team even adjusted his schedule — bumping up his last pre-break start to Friday — to give him three days of rest before the All-Star Game, allowing it to feel like a normal start rather than a light bullpen session.
So, could that mean a triple-digit heater? Maybe even touching 102 again? Will catcher Cal Raleigh be sitting fastball all the way?
“I thought last year might be the fastest I’d go,” Skubal said. “That was supposed to be the most nerves and adrenaline. But I guess we’ll see.”