DETROIT — Tarik Skubal insisted Saturday that he isn’t haunted by the memories of last October’s playoff loss to the Guardians, but he is motivated by them.
“I think whenever you fail in this game, it’s motivation,” Skubal said.
A day later, Skubal made new memories against Cleveland for Tigers fans who got up early for Sunday morning’s series finale at Comerica Park. The reigning AL Cy Young winner retired the first 15 batters he faced on his way to his first career shutout — a two-hit, 13-strikeout gem in Sunday’s 5-0 Detroit win.
His 94th and final pitch was a 102.6 mph fastball past Gabriel Arias. The 102.6 mph pitch marked not only the fastest strikeout by a starting pitcher in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), but the fastest pitch of any kind thrown in the ninth inning by a starting pitcher.
Skubal became the second Tiger in as many seasons to throw a Maddux — a complete-game shutout on fewer than 100 pitches — joining Keider Montero, who threw a 96-pitch shutout against the Rockies last Sept. 10. Skubal’s 13 strikeouts are the most ever by a pitcher in a Maddux, passing the previous mark of 12 shared by Carlos Carrasco (2014), Cliff Lee (2011) and Sandy Koufax (1964).
The victory scuttled Cleveland’s attempt at a four-game series sweep, while providing a reminder of just how much of a factor Skubal makes in the Tigers’ chances in a series. His gem in Game 2 of last year’s Division Series helped flip the best-of-5 set in Detroit’s favor, then his Game 5 work gave the Tigers a chance. Lane Thomas’ fifth-inning grand slam powered the Guardians on their way to the ALCS.
Skubal admitted Saturday to looking back on the Thomas homer, but had no nightmares about the outcome.
“I relived that at-bat and took myself through my kind of mental process,” Skubal said. “I was bought in on that pitch, and it just so happened to not go where I wanted it to. And that happens a lot. It is what it is.”
Their first meeting Sunday ended in a chopper that Skubal fielded before racing toward first base to tag out Thomas himself. It was about as close as the Guardians came to getting a baserunner on Skubal in his first trip through their lineup.
Skubal needed just 37 pitches (31 strikes) to shut down Cleveland through the first four innings, striking out five of 12 batters. He fanned Thomas on a 99 mph fastball leading off the fifth inning, just as he did against Arias in the fourth. Skubal didn’t reach a three-ball count until his 14th batter, and he promptly used a 3-1 fastball at 98 mph to get Kyle Manzardo to fly out for the second out of the fifth.
Once Jhonkensy Noel grounded out to third base to end the fifth inning, the anticipation was on. The Tigers provided Skubal all the run support he needed with a five-run fourth inning against Guardians starter Logan Allen.
For the second time this month, Skubal’s perfect-game bid ended with the first batter of the sixth. Two weeks after Texas’ Josh Smith scuttled a run at perfection, Will Wilson got enough of a 98 mph fastball to send a line drive deep to the opposite field for a double to right-center. He ended up being the lone Guardian to reach scoring position.
Skubal struck out Thomas and Manzardo consecutively on called third strikes to end the eighth at 85 pitches.
