Detroit — Fans stood and cheered as Tarik Skubal walked from the bullpen to the dugout before the game. They stood, cheered and stayed standing acknowledging his 1,000th career strikeout, when he punched out Orioles’ Taylor Ward with a 3-2 changeup to start the game.
And they stood and cheered for real when manager AJ Hinch came to get him with two outs in the seventh inning.
Skubal, the subject of increasingly persistent trade rumors ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, left Tigers nation with a potentially final glimpse of his greatness.
The two-out RBI single by Leodys Taveras that ended his day. He allowed four hits, three earned runs and struck out six. The Tigers led after seven innings, 7-5.
If this was Skubal’s final start as a Tiger, he’s left a glorious legacy. Two Cy Young awards, two playoff runs, a pitching triple crown, a 62-42 record (35-17 at Comerica Park) and a sub-3.00 ERA.
He posted his 1,000th strikeout faster than any other pitcher in Tigers history, in just 857 innings. That bests Max Scherzer (944⅔ innings) and Justin Verlander (1,101⅓ innings). He joins Mickey Lolich, Hal Newhouser and John Hiller as the only Tigers lefties with at least 1,000 strikeouts.
“He has the unique ability to keep things in perspective,” Hinch said before the game. “He knows the journey to get to this point. But he can also look to his locker mate and see that his 1,000th came a long time ago. I’m sure JV will poke fun at him.”
Verlander, who is the game’s active strikeout leader with 3,554, notched his 1,000th in 2011.
“Tarik is appreciative of what he’s had to do to get to this accomplishment and it’s important. Then we can move on,” Hinch said. “He will live in the moment for a second. I know it’s on his mind and I hope it happens fast so he can get on to 1,001, 1002 and beyond.
“But it should be acknowledged. It’s a milestone worth of attention.”
It was acknowledged. First on the jumbotron and then with a standing ovation that delayed the game for a bit.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ace Tarik Skubal exits to cheers in potential final Tigers start
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Chris McCosky, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
