Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal is the reigning American League Cy Young winner and one of the best pitchers in the world. For more than five innings against the Texas Rangers on May 9, he believed he was on his way to something more — a perfect game.
He started thinking about it after the first inning.
Oh yeah,” Skubal said after the Tigers’ 2-1 win over the Rangers.
He laughed, then flipped the switch.
“I thought I had a chance of doing something special tonight,” Skubal continued. “Obviously, those things are really special, and you need a lot of things to go right. Maybe one day.”
With the win, Skubal and the Tigers pushed their AL-best record to 26-13. It was arguably the best performance of his six-year MLB career, but he still fell 12 outs short of etching his name into the history books with perfection — or even a no-hitterWith the win, Skubal and the Tigers pushed their AL-best record to 26-13. It was arguably the best performance of his six-year MLB career, but he still fell 12 outs short of etching his name into the history books with perfection — or even a no-hitter
“I felt like I had a chance,” Skubal said. “There’s not a lot of times where you feel like you have a chance.”
The 28-year-old allowed one run on two hits with zero walks and 12 strikeouts across seven innings, throwing 96 pitches. The first hit: A leadoff single from Josh Smith, who hit a two-strike fastball through the hole on the left side of the infield in the sixth inning.
Catcher Dillon Dingler didn’t realize.
“I did not know until the ball went through and I looked up at the scoreboard,” Dingler said. “When the fans started clapping, I looked up at the board, and I was like, ‘Damn, that was it.'”
