Former AL Cy Young awardee Tarik Skubal makes history with his career-first CG

13 strikeouts, zero walks, and complete dominance in the game - that’s what the Tiger’s star pitcher Tarik Skubal brought to the Tigers vs Guardians game, which helped the former have a clean win of 5-0. This was Tarik’s first MLB closed game, which will be remembered as one of the most memorable games by the Tigers fans. With the incredible 13 strikeouts, fastest strikeout itch, zero walks, and hardly any hits, Skubal was a complete beast on the field, which got him a standing ovation from the Comerica Park audience.When Tiger Skubal entered the field on Sunday in the 9th inning, he had no idea that in the next few pitches, he would be breaking records with his first MLB closed game. Skubal’s first CG performance made history as he ended the game within 94 pitches including 13 strikeouts, zero walks, and just 2 hits. As per Sportsradar, Skubal is the only pitcher in the history of MLB who has managed to bring full shutout with less than 100 pitches, that included 13 or more strikeouts. Since pitch count records started back in 1988, there’s no known pitcher who has achieved this feat yet.On top of that, he delivered one of the fastest strikeout pitches of 102.6 mph, to Gabriel Arias, which ultimately ended the game. This was by far the fastest strikeout pitch delivered by any pitcher since 1988, as pitch-tracking started in that year.The former AL Cy Young award holder was a little teary-eyed before the inning even started. This was Skubal’s first time pitching in the ninth inning. When asked about what was going on in his mind before the innings, he said,“Little teary-eyed out there, honestly, before the inning started. It was pretty cool. I just thought to myself, 12 year-old me wouldn’t believe that was an opportunity to have the fan base support you the way it does and be in that moment. It was pretty special.”Skubal won his first Cy Young award back in 2024, and looking at his current performance and stats, chances of him being a tough contender for the award is a possibility.Also Read: Matt Vierling comeback raises eyebrows as AJ Hinch defends struggling Tigers strategy