Skubal continues to light the Tigers' emotional fire

Cleveland — Tarik Skubal expressed some embarrassment afterwards.

As he came off the mound in the sixth inning, stranded a runner in the third inning and got an inning-ending double-play ball from David Fry, he stretched his arms wide and appeared to beckon the sold-out and hostile crowd at Progressive Field to turn around to bring it, let's hear it.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t know what that was,” he said, laughing. “I don't know what that was. I’ve never done that in my life.”

It was the release of raw emotion and no jury would convict him for it. Given the circumstances the Tigers found themselves in, having lost a game in a best-of-five playoff series, given the margin of error – none, meaning the number of runs the Tigers had scored at that point in the series – Skubal threw a pitch, if not his best game this season, certainly the most important one yet.

He dominated the Guardians for seven innings, allowing just three hits, before Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run home run off closer Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning to give the Tigers a 3-0 win on series night.

“A lot of credit goes to Skub,” said Beau Brieske, who closed out the game with a flawless ninth inning. “He is the best pitcher in the world. That’s what it’s like to watch him, because that’s who he is.”

Skubal, who harassed the Guardians' hitters with powerful four-seam and two-seam fastballs, retired the first 13 batters before giving up a double to Josh Naylor with one out in the fifth. He incurred the wrath of the Guardians' supporters when he drilled the next batsman, Jhonkensy Noel, in the arm with a 97mph two-seater.

The pitch wasn't that far from the plate. Noel's arm was stretched almost into the strike zone. But no matter, the crowd angrily booed Skubal.

“Of course I never try to hit anyone,” Skubal said. “The pitch was barely off. But you never try to hit anyone. And I made sure he was good at first base. I would hate to see him break his hand or something and be out for the rest of the postseason. It would just totally suck.”

Skubal heard the boos, but they didn't bother him. In fact, he silenced them on the very next pitch, getting Andres Gimenez to launch a 4-6-3 double play.

Skubal stomped and screamed back to the dugout.

“I don’t really know where I was mentally in those situations,” he said. “But I probably shouldn’t say bad words while there are some cameras on me and the kids are watching. It was just emotions, raw emotions. First of all, the environment here was great. I think Cleveland fans, it was incredible to play in that environment. Hostile, all the stuff you like to play and pitch in front of as a kid.”

He was in trouble again in the sixth. No. 9 hitter Brayan Rocchio bounced the ball over the sack at third for a double with one out, and Steven Kwan followed with a jam shot single to left.

But here too, Skubal was undeterred. He unleashed another double, this time on a softly hit grounder from Fry. Shortstop Trey Sweeney and second baseman Colt Keith made a quick and textbook turn.

“Sweeney has been in the big leagues for a few months and he continues to impress me every day,” Carpenter said. “The double play he started, everything he does at the plate. It’s extremely impressive.”

Skubal agreed.

“Our defense was huge,” he said. “Especially against a team like this where runs are of utmost importance just because they can do anything with the bullpen, their starting pitching and the way they play defense. Defense is a big part of the win today.”

Even after the emotions he unleashed in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, Skubal still had the poise to rally and pitch a clean seventh inning, still firing 98 mph.

“It’s run by Tarik,” said manager AJ Hinch. “He's as emotional as you can get at the right time and at the right volume. He can reset and do his thing. And that’s what October is made for. It's also built for October. It’s so rewarding to see our guys play calmly, play relaxed, play competitively and ultimately play like a winner.”

Skubal, who had eight strikeouts without a walk, threw 66% four-seamers and two-seamers and had 17 calls with those two pitches and seven whiffs in 12 swings with his changeup.

“Watching him over and over again, you kind of wonder when the big moment is, when the big strikeout is, when the big pitch is. How playful he will be with the crowd, especially on the street,” Hinch said. “But in general he’s very focused on being elite. He wants to lead this team, and he does. It's one thing to want it. It's another thing to go out and do it.

“And he showed his dominance today against a strong team that puts the ball in play. And yet he finds the swing and miss. They create momentum and yet manage to suppress it.”

Skubal would be ready to pitch Game 5 on Saturday at Progressive Field if the series gets that far. In the meantime, he'll sit in the dugout and exhort his guys to win the next two and advance to the next start in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

“I can’t say enough about Skubal,” Carpenter said. “He is our leader. Every inning he was out there, even when he got in trouble today, no one in our dugout thought he wasn't going to get out of there. He is incredible.

“And the way he fires up our team, the way he goes out and executes and gets ground balls when he needs to and gets strikeouts when he needs to, he's fun to watch. I’m glad he’s on my team and is my leader.”

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