As the Tigers played out an 8-6 win over the A’s at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento on Saturday night, Tarik Skubal walked back to the visiting dugout of the Triple-A park, unaware of the shockwaves that would soon rattle sport.
During the game, the two-time Cy Young Award winner was traded to the Dodgers in a blockbuster deal.
He got the news after returning to the detached clubhouse beyond the center field wall, he said in an interview afterward, learning from a phone call he was joining the two-time defending World Series champions.
“The walk to the clubhouse was very normal,” Skubal said, in a press availability broadcast by Detroit SportsNet. But then, “I got a phone call. I was like, ‘I know what this is.’”
Thus, Skubal learned he’d be leaving the only team he has ever played for –– the one that took a chance on his late-blooming talent in the 2017 draft, nurtured his rise to superstar status over seven MLB seasons and watched him carry the club to back-to-back trips to the postseason the last two years –– and joining one that has already cemented dynasty status.
In the wake of such whiplash, the 29-year-old was conflicted.
Even after weeks (and, really, months going back to the offseason) of trade rumors, his emotions were raw and fresh.
“It’s crazy,” Skubal said. “Going into the season, this isn’t what I planned on doing. But circumstances change, situations change. And I’m very appreciative of everything that the Tigers have done for me.”
“They’ve always had answers or a plan for me,” he added. “So yeah, I feel like I’ve experienced a lot and kind of gone through the ups and downs. Gone through a lot of failure early in my career, and this club never stopped believing in me.”
Only then did the left-hander turn his attention to Los Angeles and his new home as part of perhaps the best pitching staff ever assembled.
“I’m excited to be a Dodger,” he said. “I’m excited to get down there and meet all those guys, and chase three championships in a row. That’s hard to do. So I’m excited to be a part of that. But yeah, it’s a lot of different emotions. Definitely kind of a roller coaster a little bit.”
Over the next several minutes, Skubal detailed those dueling feelings, fighting back tears as he reflected on his decade in Detroit.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!
He thought of the club’s postseason eliminations in Game 5 of both the 2024 and 2025 American League Division Series: “I used it as fuel to try and bring a championship to the city of Detroit, I truly did.”
He got choked up while describing what his Tigers teammates meant to him, and the regret of leaving them with that championship goal unfulfilled: “It’s tough. I love all those guys in there. They’re some of my best friends. Yeah, that’ll be tough, for sure.”
Then, when asked about the Dodgers again, he took a long pause, wiped his face with his hand, and looked ahead to a new future –– one that clearly was still sinking in:
“It’s exciting. Yeah, I’m excited,” he said. “They got a good group. You hear everything across the way. I’m excited.”
Just also visibly pained by his exit from Detroit.
