Tarik Skubal is tracking toward winning the AL Cy Young and quite possibly the Triple Crown of pitching. No Tigers pitcher has done that in the same season since Justin Verlander in 2011. On top of the awards, Skubal is setting himself up for quite the payday.
But that's somewhere in the future. Skubal's focus is fixed on the present, with the Tigers mounting an improbable push to the playoffs .
"We’re right in it," Skubal said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "We’re three games out, chasing down the Twins, Royals, whoever's ahead of us, and it’s fun. It gives you motivation every day you go to the yard, but we're doing a great job of not making the moment too big. ... We know how important it is, it’s kind of unspoken. But at the same time, we just have to win today’s game.
"If we can do that a lot of times the rest of the year, we’ll let everything take care of itself and we’ll see where we’re at."
When the year ends, a big question will resurface: Will the Tigers lock Skubal up with a long-term deal? He's under team control through 2026, but Detroit could try to extend him before he reaches free agency. It would cost a lot -- especially with Skubal represented by super agent Scott Boras, who prefers for his clients to hit the open market.
But it might be worth it to the Tigers as their competitive window creeks open to ensure that one of the best pitchers in baseball stays in Detroit.
Asked if he'd like a long-term deal this offseason, Skubal said, "That's a good question. A lot of that stuff’s out of my control, so I try not to even think or focus on it. I don't have much say in it. But yeah, I love playing here, I really enjoy it, so I guess that’ll be my answer to that question: I love playing here."
Would he like the Tigers to approach him in the near future? Skubal, who turns 28 in November, laughed and said, "Again, I think it’s just important for me to focus on my day to day stuff and not really worry about that stuff too much right now."
The spotlight on Skubal has increased this season with each start, nationally and locally. It hasn't fazed him. He appreciates that the fans "think the same" way he does, that the Tigers should win whenever he takes the mound.
"I’m glad the fans support me and are bought in that when I take the ball, we’re going to win. That’s the same mentality I have," he said. "When I take the ball, I’m going to do everything I can to put my team in position to win a ballgame. That’s something I take pride in."
Skubal's next scheduled start is Thursday against the Rockies. After that, the Tigers will have 15 games to go. The organization has been judicious all year in mapping out Skubal's starts so that he doesn't tire or fall victim to injury with a heavier workload; he's had two arm surgeries in the past. He's already thrown a career high 174 innings. The Tigers will continue getting him extra rest down the stretch.
"I'd love to throw as many games and as many starts as I can, but obviously I understand where the organization is coming from," Skubal said. "I haven’t been exactly healthy my entire career and that’s the goal of all this, is just to be healthy. I can make an impact when I’m on the field. I don’t really have much of an impact when I’m off the field, so I totally get what’s going on.
"Obviously it’s probably not what fans want to hear or anything like that, but I think it’s important for me to stay on the field. I feel good right now and that’s the goal for the rest of the year."
Local News
Comments / 0