Since Verlander just signed back with Detroit and Skubal is coming off back-to-back Cy Young seasons, I was curious how Tigers fans view the two peaks.

For those who watched JV every fifth day in his prime, how does Skubal’s current two-year run stack up? Purely on performance, which stretch was better and why?

Interested to hear from people who saw Verlander’s run up close.

Data via Stathead.

32 comments

  3. JV’s prime was one of the most dominant of the era. Not only could he throw 100 with nasty stuff, he was always healthy and regularly gave you 8 innings every 5 days. Just built different.

  4. Inning for inning skubal has been more impressive what gets me about verlander is the sheer volume of it all makes it feel different it was 120+ pitches every 5th day without fail I think he had 250 innings alone in 2011

  5. It’s two totally different games and honestly it’s impossible to compare. Inning for inning it looks like Skubal has probably been better but I don’t think that matters when you consider the sheer amount of innings guys were throwing back then. Like I said just different games. Because of that I’d have to take JV.

  7. An unappreciated stat here for newer baseball fans has to be IP. Verlander could consistently go 7/8/9 innings each start in his prime no problem, and do so in an inhuman way (start the game at 95/96 and by the end throw 99/100/101 darts). Skubs is awesome, and I love him to death, but some starts will only go 5 IP because of modern day pitch count restrictions. I feel like if Skubs is on you’d be ecstatic to have him pitch the 7th and you’d count your blessings, where Ver could constantly get there if he was in a good stretch.

    Other than that they’re pretty similar (barring handedness), hard fastball to pair with nasty off speed (CU for Skubs and a wicked Yellow Hammer 12-6 from Ver). I will say I tend to appreciate looping curves and sliders and Ver pitches more of those than Skubal.

  8. I seriously don’t know how they never won a world series great lineup great manager proves how hard winning a world series is. 

  12. The strikeout percentage and walks are a product of today’s league. JV wins in basically every category except ERA and only having one Cy Young

  13. I mean those stats kinda say it all. On an inning by inning basis, Skubal is more dominant. But part of what made JV so special is that you expected him to go deep every game. He would start out throwing 92 and end the game in triple digits. He game planned so every time through the lineup the batters had a different look. And it was exciting as hell. 

    Skubal takes a different approach. He’s balls to the wall every pitch. Which is exciting as well. I love them both, but they’re entirely different pitchers. 

  14. Verlander’s peak was more valuable, but for my money Skubal’s has been more dominant. Those K and BB numbers are nutty even with the lower innings totals. The fact that he can be compared to a future HOFer says a lot about his own talent.

  17. Now do just against Pablo Sandoval!

    What did that guy know about JV that nobody else could figure out?

  20. I would go with Verlander. Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball, but Verlander at his peak was beyond that. The stats don’t show the type of pressure he was pitching under. So many of his games were must win games, especially in his MVP year. Those 2-3 game losing streaks would have easily been 6-7 game losing streaks if he didn’t perform. On top of that, he HAD to make it through at least the 7th and even sometimes the 8th because there was no one in the bullpen you could safely trust to make it to the 9th. It was him Benoit, and Valverde. If he didn’t make it to Benoit, there’s a good chance the game was toast. Pitchers should not get MVP, but he was such an exception to that and literally carried the Tigers in his peak.

  21. I respect Skubal. He’s a beast, but that six innings in the most important game of the year will put some shade on him with me forever. I grew up watching Mickey Lolich. Verlander was my Tiger. Warriors. I’ve heard Hinch pulled him. I’ve heard Skubal pulled himself. I don’t know what to believe. All I know is analytics have taken the soul, the feel out of the game.

    All’s I know is, JV would have never stopped pitching that day, especially if he was throwing like Skubal. I’m an old fuddy duddy. I know nothing.

    Edit. Spelling, grammar

  23. Honestly my main takeaways here are that they used to throw guys way too much, and Skubals 2024/2025 stretch will be Mt.Rushmore

  25. Imagine these two ultrageniuses spending innumerable amounts of time sharing wisdom, skill, intel, with a singular goal in mind. Buckle up.

  26. JV was talked about as an ALL TIME great, Skubal is talked about as the greatest RIGHT NOW.

  27. I think that this is an indictment on WAR. Look at all of the key stats Skubal is better. Yet Verlander’s WAR is 30% higher??? I’d understand if it was a tad higher, but this just WARped. And I like JV better!

  30. JV at his peak legit felt like an automatic win, and the game itself was a mere formality. That’s how good he was. Skub, as good as he is, just isn’t quite on THAT level.

  32. The fact that Skubal has over 100 less innings pitched but only 20 less strikeouts is crazy. If I need one out I’m taking Skubal without question, but Verlander’s ability to dominate an entire game was something we simply don’t see anymore.

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