Tarik Skubal
Skubal just delivered one of the most dominant pitching seasons in recent memory, posting a 2.21 ERA with 241 strikeouts in 2025 — an ERA+ of 188 that ranks among the elite performances of the past decade. The southpaw has transformed from a promising prospect into baseball's premier left-handed starter, winning back-to-back Cy Young awards while anchoring Detroit's rotation.
What makes Skubal special isn't just the raw numbers but the trajectory. His career 3.08 ERA masks the fact that he's gotten better each year, culminating in this masterpiece season. At 30, he's entering his prime with 889 career strikeouts already under his belt and a track record of postseason excellence.
The scary part for opposing hitters? Skubal's best years might still be ahead of him. His 2025 campaign suggests he's found another gear entirely.
| Date | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | HR | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | L |
| Jul 7 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 | W |
| Jun 30 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | W |
| Jun 24 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 3 | L |
| Jun 19 | 5.667 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 2 | — |
| Jun 13 | 4.667 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | L |
| Apr 29 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — |
| Apr 23 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — |
| Apr 18 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 | W |
| Apr 12 | 6.667 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | W |
Career · Hitting
1 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | — | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Career | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
7 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | — | 8 | 32.0 | 1 | 4 | 5.63 | — | 37 | 1.22 |
| 2021 | — | 31 | 149.1 | 8 | 12 | 4.34 | — | 164 | 1.26 |
| 2022 | — | 21 | 117.2 | 7 | 8 | 3.52 | — | 117 | 1.16 |
| 2023 | — | 15 | 80.1 | 7 | 3 | 2.80 | — | 102 | 0.90 |
| 2024 | — | 31 | 192.0 | 18 | 4 | 2.39 | — | 228 | 0.92 |
| 2025 | — | 31 | 195.1 | 13 | 6 | 2.21 | — | 241 | 0.89 |
| 2026 | — | 14 | 82.2 | 6 | 5 | 2.83 | — | 98 | 0.93 |
| Career | 151 | 847.7 | 60 | 42 | — | — | 987 | — | |
Each pitch type this pitcher throws regularly, placed by how the ball moves — sideways break across, rise or drop down the side. Each dotted ring holds about the middle 85% of the league’s pitches of that type, so a cluster sitting outside its ring is movement most pitchers don’t have.
The dots — a sample of this pitcher’s regular-season pitches, placed by movement: left–right is horizontal break, up–down is induced vertical break (what the pitch does beyond gravity). The view is handedness-neutral — positive break is toward the pitcher’s arm side for lefties and righties alike, so every sinker runs right and every sweeper breaks left, whoever throws it.
The dotted rings — about the middle 85% of where each pitch type lands league-wide (a 2-standard-deviation spread), measured from 7.5 million regular-season pitches since 2015. A cluster sitting well outside its ring is movement most of the league doesn’t get. Spring training and the postseason are excluded.
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.