MIAMI -- Tigers starter Tarik Skubal left Friday’s 8-2 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot park with tightness in his left side after facing two batters in the bottom of the fourth inning. He underwent further evaluations after being removed.
After getting Eric Wagaman to fly out for the inning’s first out, Skubal was grabbing at his left side under his arm, then he motioned to the Tigers’ dugout. He spoke with trainers briefly before exiting the game.
He was replaced by right-hander Rafael Montero.
“Certain things happen during the game where you feel some things,” Skubal said. “And they come and go -- just with the game. This was one that didn't really go away, and that was what prompted me to call for [manager] A.J. [Hinch] and a trainer.
“[I] just wasn't very comfortable letting it go after that. I think at this time of year, what we've got going forward, I didn't really want to risk doing something that causes me to really miss some time.”
The loss dropped Detroit 1 1/2 games behind Toronto (which won, 6-1, on Friday against the Orioles) for the best record in the American League.
Skubal revealed that he began to feel tightness earlier in the inning, before calling to a trainer for assistance.
“Honestly, the first warm-up throw,” Skubal said. “And then … it didn't get worse, but just didn’t go away. I didn't feel like I could be myself, and if I'm not myself, I don't think I put our team in a good position to win.”
Skubal said he wasn’t sure whether he’d return to Detroit for further testing, or stay in Miami, adding that he’d speak with the Tigers’ staff to flesh out his plans.
“Obviously it’s scary,” Hinch said. “... You don't know what's going on, and then we went out there and said he could [feel] a little tightness in his left side. [We were] gonna take him out right away at that point.
“He said he could keep throwing, but we weren't even gonna have him throw a warm-up pitch to see. So we've got to get him looked at and see.”
Skubal, 28, has been a front-runner to repeat as the AL Cy Young Award winner, sitting at third in the Majors in ERA (2.26) and second in strikeouts (224). Should he win the award, he’ll be the first back-to-back winner since Jacob deGrom in 2018 and ‘19. He also has a chance to become the first back-to-back unanimous winner since Pedro Martínez in 1999 and 2000.
“It’s tough,” Tigers catcher Jake Rogers said. “It’s one thing to call me out, but it’s [another] to look right over at the dugout. … It sucks, you don’t want to see anybody do that. It’s a tough feeling in your gut.”
Skubal had his 14-inning scoreless streak snapped in the first inning of Friday’s game, when Agustín Ramírez hit a line-drive homer to left. Heriberto Hernández bested him again via the long ball with a solo blast in the second. The Marlins added another run in the inning, taking a 3-0 lead. Overall, Skubal allowed four runs on four hits while striking out two and walking none in 3 1/3 innings.
The left-hander last missed time due to injury in 2023. He underwent flexor tendon surgery in 2022, and missed the remainder of the campaign before making his ‘23 debut in July. He exited Friday’s game with 45 pitches, while his 3 1/3 innings marked his shortest outing since September 2021.
After a Triple Crown season in 2024, Skubal was named the American League’s starter for the 2025 All-Star Game.
His 6.5 WAR entering Friday was the best of any pitcher in the Majors, while he led all pitchers with 493 strikeouts since Sept. 3, 2023. Meanwhile, his last start vs. the White Sox marked his 12th this season of at least six scoreless innings (a franchise record).
“I'm obviously going to be optimistic,” Skubal said. “Obviously, I understand that I took myself out of a game, and that's the first time I've ever done that in my career. So I understand that there's some sort of concern, right?
“But at the same time, I’ve seen our trainers, done a lot of physical stuff, and nothing really jumps out at me. So in that aspect, I'm optimistic about it. Obviously, we'll get some more information and probably an image on it, and see what's there just to calm the brain down.”