Comstock Park — Tarik Skubal is back in the game. Already.
Remarkably, only a month after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow, Skubal, the Tigers ace and two-time American League Cy Young winner, pitched for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps at LMCU Ballpark north of Grand Rapids in a highly anticipated rehab start Sunday afternoon.
Skubal took the mound in a No. 34 navy-blue Whitecaps jersey, to a big ovation from a capacity crowd of 8,967. He was greeted after each inning with roaring applause before leaving to a standing ovation in the fifth inning.
“I thought I competed well and executed pitches well and I feel good now,” Skubal said afterward still lathered in sweat, wearing a Tigers tank top and a Tigers headband. “That’s kind of the most important thing.
“I need to wake up and feel good tomorrow.”
How did Tarik Skubal do for the West Michigan Whitecaps?
Sunday’s Whitecaps game already was sold out (it was 6/7 Day) before Tigers manager AJ Hinch announced a few days ago Skubal would make his first rehab start Sunday. But Skubal’s presence added to the ballpark’s buzz, with Skubal blue and white and orange jerseys seen all over the concourse at LMCU Ballpark, where fans were lined up more than two hours before first pitch.
He wasted little time in treating them to a show, with a 1-2-3 first inning. Skubal struck out the first two batters he faced on six pitches, putting the thought of an immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches) in his mind. He got a grounder to second to end the inning. He mixed some breaking balls and fastballs, with the fastball touching 99 mph in the first inning.
Skubal retired the first eight batters he faced, before allowing a single with two out in the second. He retired 15 of the 17 batters he faced through five innings, allowing just two hits, both with two outs, and one an infield single. Skubal needed 54 pitches to get through five innings; he threw 44 strikes.
Skubal struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. He walked off the field a standing ovation in the fifth inning, and said afterward he felt great but wouldn’t reveal what the next step is in his road to rejoin the Tigers.
“That’s a good question,” said Skubal, “that I’m not going to answer.”
“There’s a plan in place,” Skubal continued. “Have a good week of work and then we’ll make that decision when we need to make it. … It doesn’t really do me any good to tell you guys when I’m pitching next.
“I need to make sure that I bounce back from this one really well.”
The plan was for Skubal to work around 70 pitches or five innings, whichever came first.
Skubal arrived at LMCU Ballpark before noon, and he came bearing gifts for players and staff — a gourmet coffee cart for pregame, and a steak-dinner spread for postgame.
Skubal did his stretching in center field about a half-hour before the game, before making his way to the bullpen, where he threw about 15 pitches and several members of the Whitecaps pitching staff watched. He then made the walk from the bullpen beyond right-center field to the dugout along the third-base line, a towel draped around his neck, like a prize fighter returning to the ring.
Skubal chatted with his catcher for the day, Bennett Lee, who Skubal credited with calling the right pitches at the right time, knowing the Tigers and their star pitcher had a plan in place.
“Great, great,” Skubal said, assessing his first game action since late April. “I really hope that (radar) gun out there (in the stadium) isn’t right, cuz that means I’m throwing slow. Velocity was good. Execution was good. I felt like I threw a ton of strikes. I was in the zone a lot today.
“It was a good day.”
When will Tarik Skubal return to the Tigers?
It’s not known how many rehab starts Skubal, 29, might need before rejoining the Tigers rotation. It’s possible he might need only Sunday’s start, his first for the Whitecaps since a 2023 rehab assignment.
Skubal was 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in seven starts for the Tigers this season before he experienced discomfort in his left elbow during a late-April start against the Atlanta Braves. He was scratched from his next scheduled start, against the Boston Red Sox, and had surgery to remove a loose body in his elbow in early May.
Initial estimates put Skubal’s possible return sometime in August, but the procedure ending up much less invasive than initially feared, moving the timeline up from months to weeks.
The Tigers have gone into a tailspin since his injury, and while they’ve won five of six games in June (including Sunday’s 5-4 walk-off win over the Mariners, they’re still 12 games under .500 (27-39). It’s still a big hill to climb.
“We just need to continue winning baseball games and not really worry about any of the outside noise. We just need to win today’s game and win tomorrow’s game,” Skubal said. “Obviously, we kind of put ourselves in a tough spot … we can turn that all around and I believe in all of those guys to be able to do that and I’m excited to get back and be able to help the team soon.
“It sucks when the game gets taken away from you and you don’t get to help your team, and you kind of see the guys scuffling a little bit. You can’t help but think if I’m on the mound that maybe I can right the ship a little bit. I understand the impact I can have on a game.
“I’m excited to get back and impact baseball games and make a run at this thing. I still believe in this team. I still believe we’re a World Series-caliber team.
“We’re getting healthy at the right time and we’re gonna make a good run at it.”
Of course, if the Tigers can’t get back into the race, Skubal figures to be the hottest commodity available ahead of the July 3 trade deadline, as he will become a free agent at season’s end.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers ace Tarik Skubal takes the mound again: Here’s how he fared
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
