Tarik Skubal was welcomed with cheers and a smattering of boos in his return to Detroit, where he pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers against his former team for the first time since the middling franchise traded him to the two-time defending World Series champions.
When the visitors’ lineup and Skubal were shown on the videoboard and his name was announced before the first pitch, most of the crowd at Comerica Park clapped for the two-time Cy Young Award winner while some jeered him.
The Tigers showed a video montage from his seven-season career with the team and posted a message at the end: Thank you, Tarik.
Skubal did not appear to react to the tribute or the crowd, which included many fans standing as he walked from the bullpen beyond the left-field wall to the Dodgers’ dugout with a white towel draped around his neck.
In a crowd that had mixed emotions about Skubal’s return, a couple young fans had fitting outfits sporting white Tigers jerseys with 29 and Skubal on the back — and a blue Dodgers hat.
When the left-hander jogged to the mound to pitch for the first time as a visitor in the Motor City, booing fans were heard first followed by more cheers from fans in the stands.
His first pitch was delayed because he appeared to have trouble with his communication device.
After throwing a 96-mph fastball for a ball, Gleyber Torres hit Skubal’s second pitch to center for a double and the crowd roared in unison.
Skubal settled in, striking out Hao-Yu Lee and All-Star Kevin McGonigle and getting All-Star Dillon Dingler to fly out.
“It’s weird to see him on the other side,” McGonigle said before the game.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the team’s familiarity with Skubal might not be helpful at the plate.
“If anybody knows him, it’s us,” Hinch said. “You can know everything about a pitcher, that doesn’t make it easy to hit.”
The 29-year-old Skubal was drafted by Detroit out of Seattle University in the ninth round of the 2018 draft and spent his entire career with the Tigers until they dealt him earlier this month.
Skubal said in July that it was his preference to finish the season with the Tigers and to compete for a World Series championship, which has eluded the franchise since 1984. The Tigers, though, thought it was wise to trade him before the deadline to acquire three minor league prospects instead of likely losing him in free agency.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
