ANAHEIM -- Tempers flared between reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and Angels leadoff hitter Zach Neto, causing benches to clear between the Tigers and Angels following a third-inning strikeout in Friday night's 9-1 Detroit victory at Angel Stadium.
The issue might have started when Neto took Skubal’s first pitch of the evening 429 feet to left field for a leadoff home run, the first of Neto’s career. It was just the second leadoff homer off Skubal since 2023, the other coming from Rangers All-Star Marcus Semien last June in Texas. Neto stood and admired his solo shot, which appeared to irk Skubal. But Skubal said it’s all part of the game.
"It's competition,” Skubal said. “It's nothing personal at the end of the day. I think he's a really good baseball player. He's proved that throughout his career. But it's just competition, and I think it brings out the best in everybody. I think he understands that it wasn't personal, at least I would hope so. I'm not that type of guy either. What happened, happened. Obviously, I probably should be a little bit smarter.”
Skubal seemed to be pitching angry, so to speak, after Neto’s homer, throwing several fastballs at 98 mph and up.
Neto came back up to bat with a runner on third and one out in the third. Skubal struck him out swinging at a 99.4 mph fastball, then yelled something in Neto’s direction. Neto had turned away, but turned to Skubal and said something in response. The exchange continued as Neto headed up the third-base line in the general direction of the Angels dugout, with Skubal eventually stepping off the mound toward Neto.
The exchange grew more heated, and both benches cleared. First baseman Spencer Torkelson stepped in front of Skubal to make sure he did nothing to get ejected, while catcher Dillon Dingler crept into foul territory in front of the Angels territory to try to calm tempers. Jorge Soler also stepped in front of Neto to help de-escalate the situation. But Neto said he wasn’t offended by anything that happened between him and Skubal.
“The first inning, got a good swing off of him, the next time I faced him, he got a good pitch that I swung and missed on,” Neto said. “It’s just a very competitive sport. Two guys, high energy, big-time situation. That's what the game is all about.”
Angels manager Ron Washington downplayed the incident but said he didn’t ask Neto what happened.
“I can only guess, because I never checked into it,” Washington said. “He got him the first time, he struck him out the second time, and he probably said something to Neto, because after Neto struck out, he was walking away. So two competitors.”
Neto later grounded out in the sixth inning against Skubal and the two didn’t say anything to each other as Neto jogged back across the field to the Angels’ dugout.
The Tigers got the last laugh, hitting three homers off closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning and scoring eight runs in the final frame.
"It's a couple guys who were deep into the competition with a lot of emotions,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “Neto got him in the first inning, and Tarik got him later in the game. The juices are flowing, adrenaline's going. Those guys are competing. There was really no reason for the benches to clear, but emotions run high when the big boys are playing. I didn't mind it. Obviously, you don't want anything to happen."