He came. He saw. He conquered. Then he left without so much as an encore? Tarik Skubal joined Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He tossed 3 innings against Great Britain, allowing one earned run on a home run while punching out 5.
It wasn’t a historic start, nor are any outings from major league pitchers in the tournament. Short, sweet, to the point and only 41 pitches, the plan was for Skubal to have this one game then bail.
The Detroit Tigers star and two-time reigning Cy Young winner is having some second thoughts. The atmosphere has been injected into his veins. Should he reconsider and pitch again for Team USA?
Why did Tarik Skubal show up for the movie if he’s not going to stay for the ending?
This isn’t a post-credits scene Skubal would sit through. There’s a big chunk of action left for Team USA. The best pitcher, maybe in the world, can’t quit now.
All fans are torn when they see their team’s players join the WBC. The added risk of injury, if only slighter because of the added adrenaline, will have many Tigers fans refusing to believe the best thing for their team is for Skubal to pitch in games that won’t matter in the regular season. However, those same rules should apply for Skubal pitching in spring training. What’s the difference? He’s going to amplify things more when the regular season begins. If he’s one pitch away from blowing out his arm, it’s going to happen regardless of the game it’s in.
It’s those fluke injuries, like Edwin Diaz celebrating Puerto Rico’s win in 2023 with a simple hop up and down, that should concern fans. That’s the thing about fluke injuries. They can happen in games. They can happen while sneezing.
Skubal doesn’t need to step on the mound and throw 100 pitches. Availability for an inning or two, on the other hand, seems like a basic requirement to enter the tournament altogether.
Free agency looming after the 2026 season undoubtedly plays a role in every decision Skubal will make. From when he pitches and where to what he eats to even how much screentime he gets before bed, those choices will be what adds crooked numbers to his next contract. He has the potential to receive the highest deal in MLB history for a pitcher. One false move and it might all go away.
Conservatively, Skubal never should have entered the World Baseball Classic combat zone if he was only going to have a cameo. The fact that he’s doubting whether he should stay or go should give him the answer. He needs to finish what he started.