Tigers’ Tarik Skubal chasing second straight Triple Crown—but one ace stands in his way originally appeared on The Sporting News
With the regular season about to enter its final month, MLB.com’s Jason Foster details nine important stat chases to watch down the stretch in a recent article.
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That includes Detroit Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal and his quest for a second straight Triple Crown. But he faces stiff competition in Boston’s Garrett Crochet, who leads the American League with 14 wins and 214 strikeouts.
However, Skubal isn’t far behind. He has 11 wins, 212 strikeouts and the best ERA in the AL (2.28 to Crochet’s 2.40). This race could come down to the wire.
Skubal’s chase for another Triple Crown
Skubal ran away with the Triple Crown in 2024, but his competition this season is much more stiff. Here’s what Foster has to say about the race:
“Skubal won the pitching Triple Crown—leading in wins, ERA and strikeouts—last season as he was the unanimous AL Cy Young Award winner. The Tigers lefty has a chance to do it again, but this time he has company…Crochet would seem to have the Triple Crown edge as of now, but absolutely do not count Skubal out.”
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Skubal gets a chance to close the gap today in the series finale against the Kansas City Royals. Crochet last pitched on Thursday at Baltimore, tossing another gem with six innings of 2-run ball.
Per MLB.com, the last pitcher to win back-to-back Triple Crowns was Roger Clemens from 1997-98. During his spectacular 1997 season with the Toronto Blue Jays, he recorded 21 wins, a 2.05 ERA and 292 strikeouts.
The only other pitchers to achieve the feat were Sandy Koufax (1965-66), Lefty Gomez (1930-31) and Grover Alexander (1915-16).
Skubal will try to put himself among elite company down the stretch.