'It was just ... raw emotion': Skubal dominates Guardians in G2

CLEVELAND -- Tarik Skubal strutted off the mound at Progressive Field in the sixth inning on Monday and threw his hands in the air as if to ask the sold-out crowd, “Are you not entertained?”

The 27-year-old left-hander got double-play balls in the fifth and sixth frames of Game 2 of the AL Division Series, preserving a scoreless tie after the completion of both innings. Each time, he halted a potential threat and silenced the 33,650 fans in the crowd.

Skubal said he didn’t have an explanation for his reaction: He had never done anything quite like that in his life. But in the moment, it was warranted. The Tigers' ace dominated the Guardians, shoving seven scoreless innings as Detroit took Game 2, 3-0, before heading home.

“That was -- again, I don't really know where I was at mentally in those situations, and I probably shouldn't say some bad words with some cameras on me with kids watching, but it was just emotion, raw emotion,” Skubal said. “The environment here, first off, was great. I think Cleveland fans, this environment was incredible to play in, hostile, all that stuff that as a kid you dream of playing and pitching in front of. It was kind of both those things, I guess.”

Skubal opened the day with four perfect innings before a one-out double by Josh Naylor in the fifth inning. He became just the third pitcher in Detroit history to begin a postseason start with at least four perfect frames, joining Justin Verlander in Game 5 of the 2013 ALDS and Jeremy Bonderman in Game 4 of the 2006 ALDS.

“He was outstanding,” said Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt. “He's the best pitcher in the American League, starting-wise, all year for a reason. He kept us off balance. He kept making pitches. We didn't get much, if anything, to hit out over the plate. We knew we had our work cut out for us. He was special tonight.”

Of Skubal’s 92 pitches, 87 were fastballs or changeups. He only used five sliders and no knuckle curves as the evening shadows filtered over the infield.

It almost didn’t matter what he threw, though: The Guardians couldn’t touch him. And when they did, they weren’t on the basepaths for long.

"It was really hard to see,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “It was hard to catch. I think just the sheer speed difference between the two pitches, I think we were riding with it, and he was doing incredible with it, so we just kept going with it. That's Skub being Skub. I think it was kind of a vibes thing."

This kind of performance from Skubal was much needed, too.

On the heels of getting shut out in Game 1, the Tigers looked well on their way to doing so once again as Cleveland starter Matthew Boyd completed 4 2/3 scoreless innings before handing it over to the best bullpen in baseball.

In a pitchers’ duel, the Tigers leaned on the guy who’s a safe bet to win the AL Cy Young Award this year.

“The performances he gives us, it's a jolt for us,” Matt Vierling said. “To see a zero on the board in the sixth or seventh inning, and we have a chance to win, I do think there's something to that. I don't want to take away from any other starter, but to see him go out there and do that time and time again, it definitely motivates us, maybe in a subconscious way or something, to keep on grinding."

In his first two career postseason starts, Skubal has now logged 13 scoreless innings, allowing just seven hits and one walk to 14 strikeouts against the Astros and Guardians. He became just the sixth pitcher in MLB history to record back-to-back starts of six or more scoreless innings to begin their playoff career.

He is also the first pitcher in AL/NL history to pitch at least six scoreless innings while allowing fewer than six baserunners in each of his first two career postseason starts. The offense and defense fed off that energy all game.

“He's as emotional as you can get at the right time, at the right volume,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “This is what October is built for. He's built for October, too. When you watch him time after time, you kind of wonder, 'When is the big moment? When is the big strikeout? When is the big pitch?'

“He wants to lead this team, and he does. It's one thing to want it. It's another to go out and do it. And he demonstrated dominance today against a tough team.”