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Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal

The Detroit Tigers have been off to one of the best starts in baseball this season. A season after making a Cinderella run to the American League Divisional series, the Tigers sit at 26-13. They lead the American League Central division by two and a half games and have won five of their last six.

A great rotation for Detroit

The catalyst for the Tigers’ ascension has been their starting rotation. Detroit ranks 4th in the Majors with a 3.2 ERA from their starters. The rotation has provided the Tigers with an 18-10 record, 1.16 WHIP, and a .227 opponent batting average. But no pitcher, or player for that matter, has been more vital to Detroit’s success than Ace Tarik Skubal.

Skubal has been a superstar for an up-and-coming Detroit team looking for their first pennant since 2012.

OptaSTATS took to their X account to point out a historical start for Detroit’s Ace.

“Tarik Skubal of the Tigers is the only MLB pitcher to have 50+ strikeouts, no more than 1 walk, and an ERA under 1.00 over a 6-start span (since ERA became an official stat in both leagues in 1913).”

A scorching hot start this season

After a rough first couple of starts, Skubal has been locked in for the Tigers. He has allowed just four runs in his last six starts and has brought down his season ERA to 2.08. Perhaps even more impressively, his WHIP stands at a measly 0.881 over 47.2 innings so far.

What has stuck out most is his ability to limit walks while striking out batters at an elite clip. So far this season has the second-best K/BB ratio in the Majors, behind only Nathan Eovaldi. Additionally, his K/9 Ratio of 11.3 this season is among the best in Baseball.

After becoming the fifth Tiger to win the Cy Young award, the 28-year-old looks to continue his dominant stretch. The sixth-year veteran has arguably had a better start to this season than last year’s winning campaign. Skubal led the American League in ERA, Winning %, ERA+, and FIP last season.

Skubal was also excellent in the postseason. In three starts last season, Skubal managed a 2.37 ERA with 20 punch-outs against the Houston Astros and Cleveland Guardians.

In his most recent start, the Hayward, California native was masterful. Against the Texas Rangers, Skubal tossed seven innings of one-run ball. He struck out 12 batters and walked zero. He allowed just two hits as the Tigers would go on to win 2-1.

His Baseball Savant page is a thing of beauty. Skubal ranks in the 90th percentile or above in xERA, Whiff rate, K rate, BB rate, and hard hit rate. This is without mentioning his velocity, which sits significantly above league average at 97 MPH for his fastball and sinker. His other offerings, such as his changeup, slider, and curveball, are all above average velocity-wise as well.

Skubal will hope to continue his hot start and lead his squad to their first American League Central Division title since 2014. The 2027 free-agent-to-be will also look to become one of the highest-paid players in the history of the sport.