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Not many hitters have a good hitting average against reigning Cy Young winner and Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The pitcher is having another good year on the mound, leading the rotation with a 2.16 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 83.1 innings after 13 starts, including one complete game.
Skubal played a guessing game during his appearance on the "Hold My Ball" podcast on Sunday. He was asked to guess the hitter who had gone 6-for-9 against him.
There can't be many hitters who have hit Skubal that well, and the Tigers' ace took only a minute before he named Texas Rangers star Corey Seager. Lavishing praise on the left-handed hitter, Tarik Skubal said (17:13 onwards):
"I can't get Cory Seager out, dude. He's a good player. I even talked to him about that at the All-Star Game last year. I'm like, 'Dude, can you just get out?' And he's like, 'I don't like hitting off you.' I go, 'The numbers—they're different. I think at the time, I hadn’t gotten you out yet.
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"It’s a lot of like, beat-the-shift the other way. And we’re so shifted that when he hits a single, I’m like, ‘That’s a win for me.’ You know? I keep telling myself, ‘That’s a win.’ He’s one of the best in the big leagues when he’s healthy and on."
Tigers executive provides latest update on Tarik Skubal's extension
Behind the scenes, the Detroit Tigers are working on keeping Tarik Skubal in Detroit beyond the 2026 season. An extension is in the works as the Tigers can't afford to lose Skubal, who has been the best pitcher in the MLB.
Apart from the historic deal with Miguel Cabrera in the past, the Tigers have taken a conservative approach against signing massive deals. However, for Skubal, they'll have to shell out money if they don't want to lose him.
Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg was asked about the latest on Skubal's extension.
"In terms of the extension stuff, (Tigers president of baseball operations) Scott (Harris) and I have talked about it since we got here," Greenberg said via YardBarker. "One of the foundational goals here is to acquire, develop, retain as much elite talent as we can. We're going to keep those conversations behind closed doors."
Currently, New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried holds the best contract in the majors awarded to the southpaw. It's an eight-year, $218 million deal, which Skubal's contract should beat when he signs his next deal.
