"Please don't leave", "He’s gone" - Tigers fans fear the worst over Tarik Skubal's 3-word message after ALDS exit

Taking the mound for the Detroit Tigers in their crunch ALDS clash against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, ace Tarik Skubal enjoyed an excellent outing, pitching six innings, allowing only a single earned run and striking out 13.

Despite the southpaw's best efforts, however, the Tigers were eliminated in heartbreaking fashion, losing 3-2 after a marathon of a game that went to fifteen innings.

Shortly after his season came to an end, Skubal took to Instagram to thank fans for all the support they have shown him and his team all year long.

"Thank you Detroit 🙌🏻" Tarik Skubal posted to Instagram

With Skubal set to become a free agent after the 2026 season, rumors claim that the Tigers, who seem to be unwilling to offer the kind of contract the ace feels entitled to after two Cy Young-caliber seasons, may let him leave.

For fans, this is naturally a huge cause for concern, and plenty of supporters voiced their trepidation in the comments of Skubal's most recent post.

"Please don’t leave us bud" a fan commented

"Yea he’s gone" another fan wrote

"I don’t feel good about the caption 😢" another fan replied

Screenshots of fans' comments on Instagram (Images from - Instagram.com/@tarikskubal)

"Don’t ever leave Tarik. The city loves you." another fan responded

"Wow. Is this really it" another fan shared

"I am slightly concerned.." another fan posted

When asked about his future post-game, Tarik Skubal did not reveal much

Per reports, past negotiations for a potential contract extension between Skubal and the Tigers have not gone well. Soon after the Tigers' loss on Friday, Tarik Skubal was once again asked about the chances of extending his stay in the Motor City beyond 2026.

Responding, Skubal did not reveal much.

"That’s not my job, to do anything other than play. Those questions should be asked toward the front office and the people that make those decisions, but my job is to go out there and play." Tarik Skubal said, as reported by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic

Though the postseason did not end the way Skubal and the Tigers would have hoped, the ace may still have a big win to celebrate before the year is up, as he is the favorite to take home the AL Cy Young award for the second year running, come November.

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by Raghav Mehta