Baseball fans are some of the most superstitious in sports, and for good reason. Plenty of MLB achievements are left completely up to chance. That's not to say skill isn't involved, but for even the best pitcher in the game to pull off, say, a perfect game, they need luck on their side. Tarik Skubal didn't need luck to get the first 15 Guardians hitters he faced out on Sunday morning, but as circumstance would have it, the second the entire MLB community noticed, Cleveland got its first baserunner.
ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney was among the first to point out that Skubal's outing had "all the ingredients" for a perfect game. Heck, he was at just 50 pitches through those five innings, and was mowing down Guardians hitters like they were on his front lawn. That being said, Skubal's nearly-unprecedented level of success didn't last after this tweet. Fans weren't thrilled.
"That was a quick jinx," another user said. The majority of fans held the same sentiment. Perfect games are tough enough, why add to the pressure already mounting on Skubal's shoulders?
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Tarik Skubal's perfect game is no more, but the Tigers got what they needed
The Tigers got exactly what they needed from their ace, as Skubal put them in position to win after losing the first three games of their home series against the Cleveland Guardians. While Detroit's been among MLB's most inspiring success stories so far this season, the AL Central runs through Cleveland until it doesn't. The Guardians won the division last season and defeated the Tigers in the ALDS, teaching the Tigers a valuable lesson in the process.
In fact, most of the games in this series mirrored those Detroit lose in the ALDS – the Tigers' offense struggled in critical positions, such as with runners in scoring position. Detroit relied heavily on Skubal to restore the roar, if you will, against a Cleveland team that has had their number in recent years. Heck, even Skubal struggled last season against the Guardians, as he struggled mightily in Cleveland for Game 5 of the ALDS.
“I think whenever you fail in this game, it's motivation, right,” Skubal said Saturday afternoon. “There's only one happy team at the end of the year. Yeah, you use those things to fuel you. It's not like there's anything personal against this team. It's just we didn't win the World Series. That's pretty simple. There's a lot of motivation to get back to that point.”
Skubal won the AL Cy Young in 2024, but ultimately fell short of expectations when the Tigers needed him most. On Sunday, he was there for his team.