Latest news with #AmericanLeagueCyYoungAward
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tarik Skubal dominates Cleveland Guardians with two-hit 5-0 shutout
Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was perfect through five innings at Comerica Park on May 9 against the Texas Rangers, and then repeated that performance on Sunday, May 25, with another five perfect innings to kick off his start against the Cleveland Guardians. Pitchers as good as Skubal have a habit of making perfection routine. But this start reached a new frontier for the defending American League Cy Young Award winner. Advertisement Skubal treated the home crowd to another gem, pitching his first career complete-game shutout as the Tigers beat the Guardians 5-0 on Sunday at Comerica Park. Along with his first career shutout, Skubal also recorded a "Maddux," or a complete game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches thrown. Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday, May 25, 2025. JEFF SEIDEL: Does it matter that Detroit Tigers have a fun-loving clubhouse with a bunch of good dudes? The last Tigers pitcher to reach that mark was Keider Montero in 2024, who did so against the Rockies on Sept. 10. Before that, you have to go back to June 12, 2015, with David Price shutting out Cleveland on 93 pitches. In all, it was just the fifth Maddux by a Tigers pitcher at Comerica Park. Advertisement Skubal allowed his first baserunner via a double from Guardians third baseman Will Wilson to lead off the sixth inning. He tied his career high with 13 strikeouts. Celebrate 125 seasons of the Tigers with our new book! Skubal was both effective and efficient in the early innings, recording 36 pitches through his first four innings, averaging nine per frame. He had 72 through seven, keeping him on pace for the Maddux. Skubal recorded another feat during his most recent outing, becoming the first pitcher in Tigers history to record double-digit strikeouts in four consecutive home starts. The Tigers batters were fairly punchless early in the game, save for a fourth inning that gave their starter all the support he needed. Offense breaks out in the fourth The fourth began with an infield single from Justyn-Henry Malloy. Two batters later, Zach McKinstry tattooed a 77 mph slider that sailed into the right-field seats, giving Detroit a 2-0 lead. The homer was McKinstry's third of the season. Advertisement Doubles by both Javier Báez and Gleyber Torres later in the inning added a third run, while an RBI single from Andy Ibáñez added a fourth. The inning looked like it would end on a Riley Green dribbler back to the pitcher, but Guardians starter Logan Allen yanked the throw to first base, allowing Ibáñez to score and make it 5-0. The long inning gave Skubal plenty of time to rest (and think), but he looked just as sharp in the top of the fifth, setting down the side without much stress. Skubal throws 102 in the seventh Skubal kept it steady to start the game, sitting in the mid-to-high 90s with his sinking fastball. Advertisement He got faster as the game went on, however: Skubal launched a 101.7 mph fastball to strike out Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo to end the seventh inning. And that wasn't even his fastest pitch of the game. That was the final one, which got a swinging strikeout from shortstop Gabrial Arias. On that pitch, Skubal hit 102.6. Skubal's fastball velocity has averaged 97.7 mph this season, which puts him in the 94th percentile of all MLB pitchers according to Baseball Savant. But he has also shown a willingness to hit triple digits at any point in a game when needed. He probably didn't need to reach those heights to get the win on Sunday, but he did, anyway. Advertisement You can reach Christian at cromo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal dominates Cleveland Guardians in two-hit shutout
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Paul Skenes, Pirates Not Speaking Yet About Contract Extension
PHOENIX — The Pittsburgh Pirates are about to reach a crisis point when it comes to the future of the franchise. Do they sign stellar starting pitcher Paul Skenes, the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, for at least five seasons to cover his pre-arbitration and arbitration years, or do they trade him before he even gets to that point? Advertisement More from If they don't trade or sign him, his price in each of his three arbitration years could prove to be very prohibitive for a franchise that has a $114.2 million payroll for tax purposes this season per Spotrac, which is 26th in Major League Baseball. That's the second-lowest payroll in the National League to Miami's $85.2 million. Skenes, who is earning a second-year minimum salary of $875,000 this season, has not yet held contract talks with the Pirates, the right-hander said after earning the win in a 10-1 drubbing of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday at Chase Field. 'That hasn't happened,' Skenes, the No. 1 draft pick from 2023 out of LSU, said. 'This is about the here and now. I'm not in any rush for a decision to be made like that. I don't think they are, either.' Advertisement Skenes is this decade's Gerrit Cole, as far as the Pirates are concerned. Cole was picked first overall by the Pirates in the 2011 draft and was ultimately traded to the Houston Astros in 2018 before he could reach free agency—something that still irks Cole. The right-handed pitcher went on to sign a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees in 2019; he is out this season and into next after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. That deal was way too rich for Pittsburgh's blood then, and it certainly would be even at half that amount now. Skenes, turning 23 on Thursday, is constrained by the early restrictions the collective bargaining agreement places on young players. Even Detroit's Tarik Skubal, who won the American League Cy Young Award last year, is a little more advanced, making $10.15 million this year after signing a one-year contract to avoid arbitration. He has one more year of arbitration before heading into free agency in 2027. Skenes? 'I'm tied up until 2030, I think,' the Pirates ace said. And already the trade rumors are rolling. Does he pay any attention to all that? Advertisement 'What trade rumors?' he said. 'I don't think any of that is for real.' But unless the Pirates make a contractual overture, the rumors will persist. One would think it would be in the Pirates' best interest to do something long-term at what might now be a discount price. For example, the Diamondbacks signed outfielder and speedster Corbin Carroll in 2023 at age 22 for eight years, $111 million, wiping out his arbitration years and early free agency, which doesn't begin by rule until a player has finished his sixth season. That gives the club more control and the player some much-needed security. MLB contracts are guaranteed if a player is hurt. In Skenes' case, he was the NL All-Star starter last year at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas and a player the Pirates would want to build around, you'd think. Advertisement 'No doubt,' Pirates manager Don Kelly said. 'A [player like] Paul Skenes doesn't come around very often, maybe ever. There are few pitchers like that. When I was younger I got to play with [Justin] Verlander and [Max] Scherzer. You see the same thing in Paul. He's definitely the kind of guy you want to build around.' But that depends upon the Pirates and their thrifty ways. The club's assistant general manager Bryan Stroh was on the road trip but declined to make himself available to answer questions about the subject. In essence, the Pirates don't get much of an attendance bump when Skenes is starting at PNC Park as opposed to the rest of their home schedule. They average 17,120 fans a game at PNC Park, 26th in MLB, and 18,937 in the five starts thus far this season that Skenes has made—and that includes the 37,713 who showed up on April 19 in a loss to Cleveland when the team gave away a Skenes bobblehead. Demand was so high for the bobblehead that fans lined up early across the Roberto Clemente Bridge into downtown Pittsburgh. Initially, only the first 20,000 through the gates were to obtain the prized possession. But when owner Bob Nutting saw the commotion, he guaranteed a bobblehead to all fans in attendance handing out a voucher when fans scanned their tickets. It was such a great promotion that the Pirates are planning to give away a Paul Skenes Superman bobblehead for their game against the Texas Rangers at PNC Park on June 22. Advertisement Perhaps that's to avoid these kind of attendance results: 8,291 to see Skenes pitch in an April 8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals and 13,633 to see Skenes lose to the Chicago Cubs on May 1. The largest crowd to see Skenes pitch this season was 53,055 at Dodger Stadium on April 25. The right-hander excelled that night by pitching into the seventh inning in a win, holding the Dodgers to no runs, five hits while striking out nine on 108 pitches. Similarly, on Wednesday he allowed no runs on four hits while whiffing seven on 96 pitches before Kelly plucked him with two out in the seventh in front of another strong road crowd of 25,202. If he's more popular on the road and less of a payday at home, the Pirate might as well trade him than extend. But that all remains to be seen. Advertisement 'It's all probably a long way away,' Skenes said. 'We have a good core and good opportunity to do so something significant in Pittsburgh.' Is this where he wants to be long term? 'I don't know,' he said. 'Just hear them out.' Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Guardians score vs. Tigers: Tarik Skubal pitches 2-hitter with 13 K's to beat Cleveland
Tarik Skubal tied his career high with 13 strikeouts in the first complete game shutout of his career, lifting the Detroit Tigers to a 5-0 victory over the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Sunday. Skubal (5-2), the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, retired the first 15 batters he faced and gave up only two hits without issuing a walk. Skubal had never thrown a complete game in his previous 113 starts. Advertisement Zach McKinstry hit a two-run homer to spark a five-run fourth inning for the Tigers, who salvaged the finale of a four-game series with their Central Division rival. Gleyber Torres reached base three times, scored a run and knocked in another. Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez (11) hits a single against the Detroit Tigers on May 25, 2025, in Detroit, Michigan. Jose Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a single in the seventh inning. Cleveland starter Logan Allen (2-3) gave up five runs (four earned) and six hits in 3 2/3 innings. Nic Enright, making his major-league debut, struck out three in two scoreless innings of relief. Detroit squandered a scoring opportunity in the second inning, leaving the bases loaded. Advertisement Allen walked Torres and Riley Greene in the third but Spencer Torkelson bounced into a fielder's choice to end the inning. The floodgates opened in the fourth. Justyn-Henry Malloy reached on an infield single and scored on McKinstry's two-run shot. McKinstry's third homer came on a full count. Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal pitches against the Cleveland Guardians on May 25, 2025, in Detroit, Michigan. Javier Baez followed with a double and moved to third on a flyout. Torres' double to left scored Baez and Torres scored on Andy Ibanez's single. Another throwing error by Allen on a Greene bouncer allowed Ibanez to score. Will Wilson became the first Guardians baserunner when he ripped an opposite field double to lead off the sixth. Nolan Jones was hit by a pitch with one out, but Skubal got out of trouble as Angel Martinez bounced into a double play. Advertisement Skubal struck out two batters in the seventh, fanning Kyle Manzardo with a 101-mph fastball. He set down Austin Hedges with a changeup to finish off the eighth. Skubal blew a 103-mph fastball past Gabriel Arias to complete the shutout. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians' Jose Ramirez extends hitting streak to 18 games in loss
Chicago Tribune
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Minor thing: Athletics and Rays are only 2 teams with winning record on road and a losing one at home
The Athletics — formerly of Oakland but not yet of Las Vegas — have one of the worst home records in baseball. Maybe it figures. The A's are one of two big league teams playing in minor league ballparks this season, along with the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay was forced out of Tropicana Field after damage caused by Hurricane Milton, so the Rays are playing home games at the Yankees' spring training base in Tampa. The A's left Oakland and are spending at least three seasons at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento before moving to a planned ballpark in Las Vegas. So far, these temporary venues don't seem to be helping in the win column. Tampa Bay has played far more games at home than on the road, but the Rays are 16-18 at home and 10-8 away. For the Athletics, it difference is even more jarring. They are 14-12 on the road but just 9-19 at home. These are the only two teams in the major leagues that have a winning record on the road and a losing record at home. After improving from 50-112 in 2023 to 69-93 last year, the A's were actually above .500 less than two weeks ago. Then they dropped 11 in a row, the last six of which were at home, before finally beating Philadelphia 5-4 on Sunday. The Athletics have a winning percentage of .538 on the road and .321 at home. That difference of .217 is on pace to set a modern record. The previous mark was 'achieved' in the strike-shortened season of 1994 by the Chicago Cubs, who were 29-25 (.537) on the road and just 20-39 (.339) at home. The record for a full season was set back in 1908, when Pittsburgh was 56-21 (.727) on the road and 42-35 (.545) at home. Ironically, if you take out the shortened 2020 season, the Athletics already hold the modern record for the biggest home-road winning percentage difference in the other direction. In 1945, the Philadelphia A's went 39-35 (.527) at home but just 13-63 (.171) on the road for a split of .356. Although the A's only have nine home wins this season, three of them have come in walkoff fashion. Name the three teams that have yet to produce a walkoff victory in 2025. Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal struck out 13 in a two-hit shutout on Sunday, lifting Detroit to a 5-0 win over Cleveland. It was his first complete game as a pro, and he threw just 94 pitches — the last of which was a 102.6 mph fastball to strike out Gabriel Arias. Skubal became the first player in franchise history to pitch a complete game with no walks, two or fewer hits and 13 strikeouts. The Cubs began the week by losing 8-7 in walkoff fashion to Miami on Monday night — they had been up by one with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and nobody on. But later in the week, the Cubs were on the winning end of two remarkable rallies against Cincinnati. On Friday night, the Cubs were down 6-2 in the seventh before scoring the game's final 11 runs in a 13-6 win. Then two days later, the Reds led 8-3 in the sixth before the Cubs came back to win 11-8. Cincinnati's peak win probability was 96.1% on Friday and 97% on Sunday, according to Baseball Savant. 3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs' series win, including Reese McGuire's 2 home runs in comeback winColorado, Baltimore and Cincinnati have not had a walkoff victory. The Rockies have the worst home record in the game at 6-22. Baltimore isn't much better than the Rockies and A's at 8-15. The Reds are 14-14 at home.
Fox Sports
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Detroit Tigers have best record in MLB; their electric start by the numbers
The Detroit Tigers have Motown rocking. After reaching the playoffs for the first time in 10 years last season, the Tigers own the best record in MLB through 50 games (33-17). Detroit is getting consistent production from all three elements of its roster (lineup, rotation and bullpen) and finding success against the entire league. That balanced attack will be on display on Saturday night, as the Tigers host the Cleveland Guardians at 7:15 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app. Here's the Tigers' magnificent start by the numbers (all statistics and records mentioned are as of the morning of May 22): 1: Javier Báez, a Gold Glover, Silver Slugger and two-time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs, signed a six-year, $140 million deal with the Tigers for the 2022 season but has struggled immensely since inking the deal. Across his first three seasons in Detroit (2022-24), Baez averaged just 11 home runs and 54 RBIs per season, while posting a combined .221/.262/.347 slash line. In 40 games played this season, Baez has a .284/.322/.468 slash line, with each of those marks far and away his best in a Tigers uniform. 2: Detroit has three relievers who own an ERA below two among those who have made at least nine appearances: Chase Lee (0.82), Tommy Kahnle (1.37) and Will Vest (1.59). Furthermore, it has two more relievers with an ERA below three: Brant Hurter (2.08) Brenan Hanifee (2.25). 3A: The Tigers have three players who have blasted at least 10 home runs and boast a slugging percentage north of .500 (Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter for both categories). 3B: Three of Detroit's starting pitchers boast an ERA under three: Casey Mize (2.53), 2024 American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal (2.87) and Reese Olson (2.96). 4: Detroit has swept four teams this season: the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox. 5: Detroit's pitching staff ranks fifth in MLB with a combined 3.32 ERA. Splitting that figure up, its starting rotation has a 3.41 ERA, which is tied for fifth, and its bullpen has a 3.19 ERA, which is outright fifth. 6: The Tigers have won six series against teams with a winning record: the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. 8: The Tigers have won eight of their first 10 divisional games (AL Central), sweeping the White Sox in a three-game series at home, taking two out of three on the road against the Twins and winning three out of four at home against the Royals — with their only loss in the series coming in extra innings. 10: Detroit's offense ranks in the top 10 in MLB in runs (267), hits (440), home runs (62), batting average (.259), on-base percentage (.331) and slugging percentage (.421). 12: Detroit has won 12 of its first 16 series, which is the first time that it has done so since 1984 — the last time the Tigers became World Series champions. 18: The Tigers own the best record in baseball despite having just the 18th highest total payroll ($143.8 million, according to Spotrac). 19: The last time that the Tigers had the best record in baseball through 50 games was in 2006, which was 19 seasons ago; they began the 2006 season at 35-15. The 2006 team made it to the World Series, but fell to the Cardinals in five games. 27.6: The Tigers' average player age this season is 27.6, which makes them the seventh-youngest team in MLB. 66: The Tigers have won 66% of their games, which is the best mark in the sport. 79: Skubal has registered 79 strikeouts, which is first in the AL and third in MLB as a whole. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Major League Baseball Detroit Tigers recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
