0th place in the AL Cy Young Award 'Worst Day', Giddy with a straight hit → Bulpen wins 17 games...DET 2-4 COL

Sep 13, 2024

0th place in the AL Cy Young Award 'Worst Day', Giddy with a straight hit → Bulpen wins 17 games...DET 2-4 COL
Detroit Tigers Tarik Skubal almost got hit by a hand strike. AP Yonhap News
0th place in the AL Cy Young Award 'Worst Day', Giddy with a straight hit → Bulpen wins 17 games...DET 2-4 COL
Scoobee blocks Branton Doyle's straight hit with his gloved right hand in the top of the sixth inning. He caught the ball with his left hand that almost hit him in the palm of his hand. Photo = MLB.TV Capture
Detroit Tigers Tarik Skubal, the No. 0 candidate for this season's American League Cy Young Award, almost suffered a serious injury after being hit by a ball. Fortunately, there was no problem with the post-match examination.

Scubal started the home game against the Colorado Rockies at Comerica Park on the 13th (Korea time) and continued his ace-like prowess at the end of the season by allowing four hits, six strikeouts and one run in six innings. However, there was a dizzying scene that almost injured him.

In the top of the sixth inning with a 2-1 lead, Branton Doyle hit the right hand. Doyle's pitch, which hit a low changeup of 86.1 miles on the first pitch, hit Scubal's gloved right hand. He grabbed the ball that almost hit the palm of his hand, treated it as an out, and threw it to the third baseman. The batting speed was 71.1 miles, which was not a hard hit, but there seemed to be a shock. After the trainer came out and checked his hands, the scoobull, who practiced several times, sent a sign that it was okay. He then caught the next two batters with a ground ball and a fly ball to the second base to end the inning.

Scubal was able to throw another inning with 84 pitches, but he turned over the mound to Brennan Hannifie in the seventh inning with a 2-1 lead.

After the game, coach AJ Hinch said, `The X-ray examination showed no abnormalities, but I think we need to do more tests"It was a very dangerous situation. You have to complete all the additional tests to feel safe,' he explained.

Scubal was trying to grab it with his bare hands, although his glove was intact. It wasn't a smart play from my point of view." He then said "It hurts a little, but I think it'll be okay. I don't worry about my next appearance. I don't think there's any big problem, so I don't think there's any need to worry if I get more tests."

0th place in the AL Cy Young Award 'Worst Day', Giddy with a straight hit → Bulpen wins 17 games...DET 2-4 COL
Tarik Scubal is a strong Cy Young Award candidate. Magn ImagesYonhap News
Detroit lost 2-4, allowing Jason Foley, who took the mound in the ninth inning after Hannify gave up a tie in the seventh inning despite Scubal's good pitching, to turn the tables, allowing a right-handed hit to lead Brandon Rogers, a right-handed double to Jacob Stallings, and a sacrifice fly to Jake Cave. Scubal, who went down the mound in a lead situation, missed his 17th win of the season due to bullpen difficulties.

Detroit, which ended its four-game winning streak, is ranked fourth in the AL Central Division and fourth in the wild card with 75 wins and 72 losses. He is 3.5 games behind the third-place Minnesota Twins in the wild card, so he has to do his best to advance to the postseason.

Scubal is a strong AL Cy Young Award candidate, although it did not add multipliers. He is 16-4 with a 2.50 ERA and 214 strikeouts in 29 games this season. He ranks first in the AL ERA, first in strikeouts, joint first in multiple wins, third in pitching innings (180), second in WHIP (0.94), and second in hit rate (0.206). Pitcher triple crowns are available.

Scubal, who lightly silenced six batters in the first and second innings, allowed a solo home run to Jordan Beck in the left-center after one out in the third inning when he was 0-0. However, he later prevented additional runs, and after getting out of the crisis with no outs and runners on the first and second bases in the fourth inning, he easily led the game until the sixth inning. Detroit turned the tide 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Spencer Tokelson hit a left double with two outs and runners on first and second bases.

Scubal had a fastball speed of up to 98.8 miles and an average of 96.9 miles in 39 throws.

He joined Detroit as the 255th overall pick in the ninth round of the 2018 draft and made his major league debut in 2020. He was a full-time starter in 2021 and confirmed the possibility with 8 wins and 12 losses and a 4.34 ERA, but he ended the season with left-arm fatigue syndrome in August 2022 and returned in July last year after nearly a year of rehabilitation. Since then, he has been showing off his ace posture.





jhno@sportschosun.com