Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal begins Cy Young campaign by bullying White Sox on Opening Day

CHICAGO — Javier Báez, a former All-Star and World Series champion, has stepped into the batter's box against 951 different pitchers throughout his career, which spans nearly 4,400 plate appearances across 11 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and now, the Detroit Tigers.

Those totals include three plate appearances against Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal in May 2021.

"He knows what he's got, and he really worked hard for it," said Báez, who played shortstop on defense behind Skubal in Thursday's 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Opening Day. "I think he can win a Cy Young if he's got a good plan, which he does."

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Skubal opened his fourth MLB season and made his first Opening Day start in a familiar ballpark. Guaranteed Rate Field, located on Chicago's South Side, is where he made his MLB debut against the White Sox in mid-August 2020.

He felt nervous before his first MLB start. He also felt nervous Thursday before his first as the team's undisputed No. 1 option.

He called it a full-circle moment.

"To come back and be able to start Opening Day kind of makes up for that in a way," Skubal said.

There weren't any fans allowed at games in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. His family and friends weren't able to watch his MLB debut in person, but they were in attendance for his start Thursday.

"I don't know if there's any more pressure when your family comes to watch," Skubal said. "It's more of a privilege in that aspect. It's pretty cool to throw in front of your family and stuff. It's pretty special. Whether it goes well or not, it's awesome to be able to show your craft. They got on plane rides and flew a long ways to come out here, so that means a lot."

Skubal put on a spectacular show for his family and friends.

He completed six scoreless innings with zero walks and six strikeouts, allowing just three hits while throwing 59 of 83 pitches for strikes. He generated 20 whiffs (on 49 swings) with 10 fastballs, five changeups, three sinkers and two sliders.

"Big start for our team, big start for him," manager A.J. Hinch said. "Couldn't ask for much more."

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Skubal didn't have his best secondary pitches from the onset of his first Opening Day start, but that didn't matter because he adjusted to the situation.

He simply bullied the White Sox with overpowering fastballs in the early innings before dialing in his changeup for the later innings. By the end, he had everything working.

His four-seam fastball produced a 45.5% whiff rate.

"He wasn't really spinning the ball early," Hinch said, "but the changeup started to come and the power on his fastball started to come. You see the head nod, and you see his mojo, moxie. You could tell he was starting to get into it and feel a little bit better, and then it's like any other game."

Skubal has extended his scoreless streak to 17 innings, dating back to last season. He used the most recent six scoreless to put the Tigers in the win column to begin the 2024 season.

"That was the goal always, 1-0 no matter how it happens," Skubal said, "and it just so happened that it was a 1-0 game. Our bullpen was awesome in the seventh, eighth and ninth, and we scored enough runs to win, and that's what matters."

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Don't forget about what Báez said after witnessing another Skubal masterpiece while playing behind him at shortstop. It certainly means something that the veteran Báez believes Skubal can win the American League Cy Young.

After all, Báez would know.

Not only has Báez faced more than 950 different pitchers, including Skubal in May 2021 with the Cubs, but he also faced the latest and greatest version of Skubal in 2024 as teammates during live batting practice in spring training.

The way Skubal pitches reminds Báez of left-hander Aroldis Chapman, a seven-time All-Star reliever.

Except Skubal is a starter.

"He's one of a kind," Báez said.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Javier Báez: Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal 'can win a Cy Young'