For Tarik Skubal, it doesn’t feel like long ago he was going to games at T-Mobile Park in Seattle and savoring the environment of what he thought was the coolest place in the world.
He’d get goosebumps watching Edwin Diaz come out to close a game for the Mariners while he was merely a collegiate pitcher continuing his journey just down the road.
Now Skubal, 28, takes the field at T-Mobile Park for the fourth time as an MLB pitcher, but his first in the postseason in a major opportunity for the reigning Cy Young Award winner to put his Detroit Tigers up 2-0 in the ALDS.
Though he’s an Arizona native, Seattle is a meaningful place for Skubal, who played summer ball in the Pacific Northwest as a teenager before spending four years at Seattle U., a small private school not far from downtown.
“It’s always good to get back to this city. This city means a lot to me,” Skubal said Saturday. “Obviously I spent four years here. I was born in California, raised in Arizona, but I feel like I kind of grew up here in college, getting independent. So this place will always have a special place in my heart, for sure.”
After a standout final season with Seattle, the only Division I school to offer him a scholarship, Skubal joined the Tigers in 2018 as the 255th overall selection in the MLB draft.
The path to becoming one of the most dominant pitchers in the league and a likely back-to-back Cy Young recipient was rocky as Skubal faced injuries in college and a slow start to his career as a major leaguer.
But now he’s being dubbed by his teammates as the “best pitcher in the world” day-in and day-out, with not many arguments against the claim.
He’s first in the American League in ERA, second in strikeouts and third in opposing batting average for the season. His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 7.30 is the best in the majors by nearly two points.
And in critical moments, Skubal continues to deliver big. In his first start of the postseason in the AL Wild Card series against the Cleveland Guardians, Skubal put together an historic outing going 7 2/3 innings with 14 strikeouts to lead the Tigers to a victory.
Now he’ll try and lead the way for another huge postseason win, where he’ll also play host to the entire Seattle U. baseball team at T-Mobile Park, getting tickets for their roster to come see playoff baseball Sunday night.
When Skubal and the Tigers were in Seattle in April, he went and visited the team and had them out at the stadium for his start.
It’s important to him that the up-and-coming Redhawks see what can be accomplished in baseball through determination.
“I think it’s important to just understand that it’s not a dream, you know? You can dream about playing in the big leagues and getting drafted and all this stuff, but those things can become a reality for all those guys,” Skubal said. “And I think it’s important to get back in front of them and talk to them and share some knowledge.
“I don’t have all the answers either, but just share some knowledge and — like, this is real. It’s not some — it’s not a fantasy. You can actually accomplish what you put your mind to. So I think that for me is why I want to get in front of those guys and always try and take care of them when I’m here.”
Skubal remembered when pro guys would come back and work out with him and his teammates at Seattle and how cool it was for him at the time.
“I thought, ‘This is awesome to have guys who are in professional baseball and grinding through the Minor Leagues.’ I idolized those guys,” Skubal said. “I wanted to watch those guys and pick their brain and see why they have success and why they’re good and how they got to be in that situation.”
Even though Skubal doesn’t even consider himself an MLB veteran — currently in Year 6 of his career — his approach to the game is widely praised and a reason he’s become a lethal lefty in the league.
If there’s someone to model after in the majors right now, it’s Skubal. He didn’t come in as the top-ranked prospect from a big-name program.
Skubal was a grinder through the early stages of his career and turned into one of the brightest gems in baseball.
And he’s about to take centerstage in the playoffs in a place that inspired him to become great.
“I love the environment. It’s what you prepare for. It’s what you work for. It’s why you do the things you do in the off-season,” Skubal said. “It’s all for moments like this, to just go play baseball in the biggest stage, to go out and compete and win a championship. It’s why I do what I do. It’s all the motivation that I need.”