While the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians are in the middle of a heated series that could very well determine the winner of the AL Central and which of the two teams makes the postseason, the incident between Tarik Skubal and David Fry on Tuesday night was an unintended consequence of the moment. Skubal, clearly rattled in the midst of a three-run inning that would sacrifice one of the only leads the Tigers have provided him in recent starts, hit Fry in the face with a pitch as he squared up to bunt. Again, this HBP wasn't intentional – it was clear Skubal was rattled and lost control of the pitch. Fry went down in a heap and was removed from the game in a frightening scene.
Skubal, who is the likely AL Cy Young winner even if Detroit should miss the postseason, felt horribly after the game and sent Fry a text message. However, rather than waiting for a reply, Skubal took matters a step further and visited the Guardians slugger at the hospital, per reporter Zack Meisel.
Tarik Skubal visited David Fry in the hospital last night. So did Stephen Vogt and a group of Guardians. By all accounts, Fry was in good spirits. Fry is back home and his family is headed to Cleveland to be with him.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) September 24, 2025
As Meisel wrote, Fry is in good spirits and back home with his family. He spent the night at Cleveland Clinic, and reportedly suffered left-sided facial and nasal fractures. Per the Guardians, Fry avoided the worst, but will still miss 6-to-8 weeks.
Tarik Skubal's good karma is exactly what the Tigers need
The Tigers don't have much going in their favor. While there wasn't any ulterior motive in Skubal visiting Fry in the hospital – other than simply feeling horrible for hitting him in the face with a fastball – Detroit needs all the good vibes they can get right about now. Detroit has blown a 12-game lead in September. They are in the midst of what could be the worst division collapse in baseball history, and aren't even guaranteed a playoff berth. The Tigers haven't been shy about their bewilderment this month, but Skubal made Fry the focus on his postgame presser rather than his own performance.
"Really tough," Skubal said about how the HBP on Fry impacted him. "I've already reached out to him. I'm sure his phone is blowing up. I just want to make sure he's all right. Obviously, he seemed like he was OK coming off the field, and hopefully it stays that way. I know sometimes with those things that can change. So hopefully he's all right. I look forward to hopefully at some point tonight or [Wednesday] morning getting a text from him and making sure he's all good because there's things that are bigger than the game, and the health of him is more important than a baseball game."
David Fry's injury was bigger than baseball
Even in a pennant race, Fry's injury was bigger than baseball. The fastball from Skubal left the Guardians DH, who had returned from offseason elbow surgery in June, bloodied on the field. While baseball isn't a contact sport, it can be a dangerous one when hitters crowd the zone against a pitcher with as much movement in a 99 MPH fastball as Skubal does. This is not to blame Fry in any way – the Guardians have thrived playing small-ball during their recent run.
"Definitely really scary," Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan said. "For David to even try something like that [bunt], that's just who he is. Selfless kind of guy, and especially in a position like that, he's a tough guy. Thankfully he had some humor when he came up, but you don't want to see a guy that's been with you pretty much the whole year [get hurt].
Fry was willing to put his body on the line for the Guardians division hopes. Skubal missed his spot, and respected his opponent's intentions while realizing the impact his error had. These moments are few and far between, but they're what sportsmanship is supposed to be about.