Jack Flaherty gives 2-word verdict on Tarik Skubal after historic performance

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had a game for the ages in the team's 5-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday. The reigning American League Cy Young winner cemented himself in the history books by setting several records and, in turn, impressed his fellow starter Jack Flaherty.

After the game, Flaherty shared an Instagram story of Skubal with a brief caption as a statement of praise for the young pitcher.

"THE BEST," Flaherty wrote about Skubal.

Flaherty makes his feelings known about Skubal's dominant outing (@jflare/Instagram)

After a rental with the LA Dodgers in the back end of the 2024 season, Jack Flaherty reunited with the lefty on top of the Tigers' pitching rotation. It has cemented them as a formidable tandem and a big factor in the team's AL-best 34-20 record.

Tarik Skubal pitched a "Maddux" in Sunday's game against the Guardians. Named in honor of Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, it's when a hurler pitches a shutout with fewer than 100 pitches thrown.

Given that today's game is flooded with load management and analytics rather than feel for the sport, Skubal's rare outing featured a shutout of just 94 pitches. With the victory, Detroit managed to salvage a game in its four-game set against the Guardians.

AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal shuts down Guardians

Tigers ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal was a one-man army against the Guardians. Skubal pitched a complete game shutout with the most strikeouts for a "Maddux" at 13 with no walks and just two hits issued.

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In the landmark contest, Skubal set records aplenty. He threw the fastest strikeout by a starting pitcher since tracking was established in 2008 — and he did it on the last pitch he threw in the game.

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The 28-year-old also became the first MLB hurler since Tigers great Justin Verlander to throw the fastest pitch by a starter since Verlander threw a 101.3 miles an hour fireball on July 24, 2009.

After losing three straight games to the Guardians, the Tigers were all hands on deck to support their ace pitcher. Detroit opened a five-spot in the fourth inning that was started by Zach McKinstry's two-run shot. Gleyber Torres, Andy Ibanez and Riley Greene would all add to the cause as they staved off the sweep attempt of Cleveland.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago