Tarik Skubal Shares Optimism After Leaving Game With Injury

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal gave fans a scare Friday night when he left his start against the Miami Marlins in the fourth inning, grabbing at his left side after a pitch. While the sight of the AL Cy Young favorite exiting the mound was alarming, Skubal himself downplayed the severity of the situation afterward.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Skubal admitted it was discomfort that forced him to call out manager A.J. Hinch and the training staff, something he’s never done before.

“Some tightness. Certain things happen during the game where you feel some things and they come and go with the game,” Skubal said after the game via The Athletic. “This was one that didn’t really go away, and that was what prompted me to call for [Tigers manager A.J. Hinch] and a trainer, obviously. Just wasn’t very comfortable letting it go after that. This time of year, what we’ve got going forward, I didn’t want to risk doing something that causes me to really miss some time.”

It was a tough pill to swallow for a pitcher who prides himself on battling, but Skubal also stressed that caution was the smart call given the calendar. With less than three weeks until the MLB postseason begins, Detroit can’t afford to lose its best arm for October.

Even so, Skubal chose to look at the positives.

“I mean, I’m obviously going to be optimistic. I understand that I took myself out of a game, and that’s the first time I’ve ever done that in my career. 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 just to see what’s there, kind of calm the brain down.”

What it means for Detroit

The Tigers currently sit atop the AL Central with an 84-64 record, but the bigger prize, a wild-card bye, is still very much on the line. Losing Skubal for any length of time would deal a serious blow to those chances, and potentially derail postseason plans.

For now, both the Tigers and their fans will have to wait for test results. But if you take Skubal at his word, there’s reason to believe Friday’s scare won’t become a long-term nightmare.

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