“I think I did a good job of keeping baseball baseball,” Skubal said. “Trying to compete and give my team a chance to win, I think you saw all the emotions early. I felt like I did a good job of keeping the game baseball, but obviously this place is special to me.”
Skubal reminded his former teammates of what they traded away when he returned to Detroit. He limited the Tigers to one run over six innings, with the only tally coming on an RBI triple by Max Clark, who had debuted just two days before the trade. The Dodgers acquired Skubal at the trade deadline, sending outfielder Zyhir Hope and pitching prospects River Ryan and Brady Smith to Detroit.
Skubal described Comerica Park and his time with the Tigers as special. He’s won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in recent seasons and helped end a decade-long postseason drought for his team. With a high-stakes game on the horizon, he aimed to keep the afternoon focused on the routine fundamentals of competing, rather than letting the moment overwhelm him. He acknowledged the peculiar circumstance of staying in a hotel for a game of this magnitude but tried to stay grounded.
Before taking the mound, Skubal connected with many former teammates in Detroit and even tossed a ball to his former pitching coach, Chris Fetter. The pregame included a tribute video for Skubal, which moved him; he admitted shedding tears during the moment. “This is the place I’ve known my entire career, since 2018. It was special for sure,” he said.
When asked about the crowd’s reaction, Skubal noted that he anticipated a supportive reception, given the familiar “Skoob” chants from his Detroit days.
Facing his old teammates provided a new type of challenge. “It’s fun to compete against really good baseball players,” he said. “It’s fun to just go out and compete. I know them personally, but the game of baseball is always the game of baseball. I try to execute my plan as best I can.”
Skubal hoped to finish the seventh inning, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts opted to give him a breather after a heavy workload in recent starts. Roberts explained to reporters that the plan was adjusted to manage the emotional day and the pitcher’s workload.
The game underscored the emotional and competitive balance that Skubal navigated as he faced his former club, now in a Dodgers uniform, while the Tigers honored his impact from his time in Detroit. The day highlighted not only Skubal’s individual performance but also the broader dynamics of a player transitioning between teams and the lasting connections formed within a franchise.
Overall, Skubal’s return to Comerica Park stood as a meaningful chapter in his career—an occasion marked by nostalgia, respect, and the relentless pursuit of competitive excellence on the mound.
