Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal had an ace-level performance in his return against the Detroit Tigers.
Skubal pitched six innings, allowing four hits and no walks, with seven strikeouts to boot.
He had six strikeouts in the first three innings of his start, dealing with purpose, though his stuff got less overwhelming as his start went on.
Still, he managed to get out of a jam later on and limited the damage after the first run came across the plate.
There was some drama around his eventual exit, as he only threw 83 pitches before manager Dave Roberts approached Skubal in the dugout during the top of the seventh inning.
Skubal’s stuff was still more than good enough, but the Dodgers and Roberts seemingly made the call to keep him from pushing it too much.
It was quite a change of pace for the Dodgers, who have let Skubal hit triple-digit pitch totals over his last few starts.
Just judging by the body language, Skubal looked like he wanted to stay out there badly, especially since it was such a big stage as he returned to Detroit.
Dave Roberts did a ton of explaining to Skubal, breaking down why he was pulling him despite the starter being locked in, but the starter seemingly accepted his fate reluctantly and didn’t make the case too hard.
Miguel Rojas came in to console Skubal, understanding his disappointment.
How did Skubal handle his return to Detroit?
Considering how fiery and emotional Skubal is on the mound on a regular basis, he was relatively tame and quite locked in for most of his outing.
He looked emotional during his walk on the field as the Tigers played an emotional tribute video, but after that moment, he was focused and truly his fully competitive self.
Skubal passed a big milestone as a Dodger, getting the visit to his old home over with, and now, the next moment will come during the postseason.
