Instead of Tarik Skubal vs. Paul Skenes, a doubleheader descended into chaos
DETROIT — Before the ejections and the altercations, before the delays and the chaos, everyone wanted to know about the pitching.
Here at the Detroit Tigers' Comerica Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates were in town. Wednesday's game was postponed due to the threat of severe weather. That meant Tigers ace Tarik Skubal would be pushed to one of the games in Thursday's doubleheader.
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Also pitching that day? Paul Skenes, the second-year phenom who — alongside Skubal and a select few others — can make a claim for the title of the most electrifying pitcher in the sport.
When it comes to Skubal and Skenes, there are clear differences. One is left-handed, and one is right-handed. One pitches with an imposing high leg kick, the other with a deceptive swivel. One is mustachioed, the other clean-shaven. But both are, as Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, the names you circle in the probables section. The guys everyone wants to watch. The closest thing this sport has to a next generation of workhorse aces.
So when Wednesday's game was rained out, it seemed momentarily like the baseball gods were orchestrating a Skubal-Skenes showdown.
Skubal was down for it.
'No doubt,' he said. 'I like going against the game's best.'
Skenes, it seems, had no objection to facing off against Skubal.
'That would have been cool,' he said.
Hinch, though, asked Skubal which game he preferred to pitch in. Skubal chose Game 1, citing the more controlled start time, the more normal feeling of pregame preparation.
In the Pirates clubhouse, Skenes and left-hander Andrew Heaney discussed how they would handle the doubleheader.
'He wanted the day game,' Skenes said. 'So I was like, 'All right, I'll take the night game.''
There was no intervention. No reversal of the decisions. The showdown between aces was not meant to be.
Instead, Thursday's split doubleheader turned into a study in chaos.
It started early. With inclement weather in the area, Game 1 began with a delay. First pitch was pushed back from 1:10 p.m. ET to 1:50.
By the time the game started, rain was falling, more than just a soft drizzle. Skubal pitched the first inning with water dripping from the brim of his hat. A pitcher who had walked only three batters in his past 36 innings issued two walks in the first inning. The Pirates loaded the bases, though Skubal escaped unscathed.
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In the dugout after the inning, Skubal cursed and let out his frustration.
'It just felt like we could have started that game a little bit later,' Skubal said. 'Warming up, it was coming down pretty good. So I think that's what I was more frustrated at. My hat was literally leaking water in front of my face as I'm pitching. It's like, why didn't we just wait?'
Skubal recovered from the rocky first inning. He pitched much like himself, even if a slightly more human version. He went 5 2/3 innings, gave up two earned runs and notched six strikeouts. The Tigers won 9-2.
After the game, there were still hints of frustration at how it all unfolded.
'That was frustrating, for sure,' Skubal said of the conditions. 'But their guy is playing in it just like you are. You can't let it affect you, and I probably did let it impact me a little bit. That's something I can take away. In the future, don't let outside things you can't control impact your emotions.'
By Game 2, the weather had cleared. Skubal had talked of wanting to zero in and watch Skenes. 'Hopefully, we tag him a little bit, but his stuff is pretty good,' Skubal said. He ended up watching the opposing ace pitch in 73-degree weather, sunny and with shadows that generally favor pitchers.
Skenes appeared dominant as ever through the first four innings, using his curveball and toying with Tigers hitters.
But by the fifth, Skenes' mortal side also showed. He threw balls on eight of nine pitches (thanks in part to a tight strike zone) and walked two batters. Tigers hitters chipped away at his pitch count. The game slowly descended into chaos.
There was an interference call on a grounder to second base that had Pirates manager Don Kelly on the field arguing and Hinch on the other side of the field talking with another umpire.
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Gleyber Torres eventually ripped a double to left field and brought in two runs. Skenes returned for the sixth and finished his day with a strikeout of Zach McKinstry on a 98.7 mph fastball.
His final line, except for five walks, was identical to what he did last season in Detroit, when he and Skubal also started opposite ends of a doubleheader: six innings, three hits, two earned runs and nine strikeouts.
But the Pirates bullpen blew a 4-2 lead when Colt Keith hit an opposite-field homer in the seventh. Skenes has a 1.85 ERA, but Thursday marked his 12th start with either a loss or no decision.
Dennis Santana is swinging at fans from the bullpen pic.twitter.com/cah20Ohtis
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 20, 2025
Somewhere around the seventh inning, the hysteria really set in. Video began circulating online of Pirates reliever Dennis Santana leaping at the bullpen wall and taking a swipe at a fan who, it seems, had been heckling him. The fan was ejected, according to a Tigers spokesperson.
'You guys know me and know my temper,' Santana said via an interpreter, addressing his confrontation. 'I'm a calm person. They just crossed the line a few times. I would like to leave it like that.'
Santana, fresh off an altercation, entered in the ninth inning with the score tied. He recorded one out as a dark cloud inched toward Comerica Park. Rain soon started pouring again. The game entered a one-hour, 15-minute delay as fans huddled on the concourse.
When play finally resumed, the game went into extras. Hinch was ejected for the first time all year after a close play at the plate involving Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham stood after review.
'I hate '(call) stands,'' Hinch said. 'When you say it stands, it's like making no call to either affirm or take it away. That brings a lot of frustration. They showed it up on the big board. I gotta defend my team. The angle that they put up on the board looked like he was out.'
Three fans have been ejected behind home plate. The Detroit crowd started a 'Tommy sucks' chant as they were being escorted out. pic.twitter.com/psE9EGkGM0
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) June 20, 2025
Later in the 10th, Pham was on deck when home-plate umpire Dexter Kelley appeared to call time and began pointing toward the stands. Pham, clearly angered, was also motioning toward the stands.
Stadium security ended up escorting a group of three fans sitting in the Tigers' high-end Home Plate Club out of the park. It's unclear what they said, and Pham did not speak with reporters. In a statement, MLB said the fans were removed for 'inappropriate comments in order to protect a player on the field.'
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'I didn't see it,' Kelly said. 'I guess fans were saying something to him, and he didn't take kindly to it. Security did a great job of de-escalating that situation pretty quick.'
The close play at the plate changed the complexion of the inning. The Pirates scored four runs and went on to an 8-4 victory. The small crowd that remained booed umpires and chanted 'Tommy sucks' as the game dwindled to its end.
In all, at least four fans and a manager were ejected. Two players were embroiled in a dispute.
A day that should have been centered on two star pitchers turned into a swell of controversy.
What could have been a great day for baseball ended as an ugly mess.
(Photo of Paul Skenes talking to umpire Chris Guccione in the sixth inning: Rick Osentoski / Imagn Images)
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