Detroit Tigers’ A.J. Hinch on Cleveland Guardians before MLB playoffs
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch talks about the AL wild-card series against the Cleveland Guardians on Sept. 29, 2025, at Progressive Field.
Tarik Skubal just missed out on joining an elite pantheon in Detroit Tigers history, but he still delivered a dominant outing in the Tigers’ 2025 MLB playoffs opener.
The left-hander allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out 14 over 7â…” innings against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series, just missing out the third scoreless postseason start (of at least six innings) in his career.
Skubal’s strikeout total tied the Tigers’ franchise record, set by Joe Coleman in Game 3 of the 1972 ALCS.
The 14 strikeouts bested the career high in the regular season or postseason for the 2024 AL Cy Young Award winner (and 2025 favorite), topping his 13 against the Guardians in a complete-game shutout in late May and his 13 against the Minnesota Twins in late June. It’s also the 15th double-digit strikeout playoff game in Tigers franchise history, and the first since Justin Verlander fanned 10 Boston Red Sox hitters in Game 3 of the 2013 ALCS.
The lone run off Skubal scored on a controversial play in the fourth inning, as Cleveland tied the game at 1-1 without hitting the ball out of the infield. A slow-rolling infield by Angel MartÃnez to second baseman Gleyber Torres started the rally, with MartÃnez moving to second on a walk to slugger José RamÃrez.
After a pair of strikeouts, Gabriel Arias hit a chopper off the plate that bounced over Skubal’s head. Skubal failed to field it cleanly, then threw high to home to try and get MartÃnez, who was ruled out originally, then deemed safe after a replay review.
The Tigers retook the lead in the top of the seventh on a run-scoring bunt by Zach McKinstry.
Tarik Skubal chasing Tigers history
Two other Tigers greats have posted three scoreless playoff starts in franchise history.
Kenny Rogers had three in the 2006 playoffs, blanking the New York Yankees over 7 2/3 innings in the ALDS, the then-Oakland Athletics for 7 1/3 in the ALCS and the St. Louis Cardinals for eight in Game 2 of the World Series.
Verlander, meanwhile, needed two playoff runs to pick up his three gems, though all three came against one franchise; he blanked the Athletics in a complete game in Game 5 of the 2012 ALDS, than threw seven scoreless in a 1-0 loss to the A’s in the Game 2 of the 2013 ALDS and finished off that series with eight scoreless in Game 5.
Before Tuesday, Skubal had two scoreless starts in last year’s playoffs, going six innings against the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series and then shutting down the Guardians for seven innings in Game 2 of the 2024 ALDS.
When might Skubal tie the franchise record for scoreless playoff starts? He’ll need the Tigers to advance out of the best-of-three wild-card round and face the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS.
Skubal would be available to start Game 2 of that series at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Sunday, if the Tigers advance to the best-of-five round this week.