Skubal silences Astros, then 'pen hangs on for thrilling Game 1 win

HOUSTON -- The Tigers’ pitching chaos can wait. Tarik Skubal brought order to Game 1, even if the ninth inning flirted with anarchy.

The procession of openers, bulk pitchers and specialists that helped Detroit reach the postseason for the first time in 10 years will have two chances to lift the club to its first playoff series win since 2013 thanks to Skubal, whose first career postseason start lived up to the billing. With six scoreless innings and six strikeouts, the American League’s pitching Triple Crown winner humbled a Houston lineup that has made a ritual of October baseball, sending the Tigers to a 3-1 win on Tuesday afternoon in Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park.

When Beau Brieske stranded the bases loaded in the ninth with a Jason Heyward line drive to first baseman Spencer Torkelson, manager A.J. Hinch had accomplished the first step of his plan to get out of Houston and into an AL Division Series matchup with Cleveland. The Tigers will mix and match the rest of the way, including using Tyler Holton as an opener for Game 2 on Wednesday afternoon.

“I love it,” Skubal said.

The win not only recaptures the momentum the Tigers built in their late-season charge to a Wild Card spot, it gives Detroit a statistical advantage in the series. In the brief history of the best-of-three Wild Card Series, teams that win Game 1 have gone on to advance 14 out of 16 times. Teams that have won it on the road have advanced eight out of 10 times, including seven two-game sweeps.

It wasn’t smooth, but it wasn’t new, either. For a roster whose collective postseason experience is limited to Matt Vierling’s run to the World Series with the 2022 Phillies, they looked up to the task, none more than Skubal.

“I don't think it's a small thing today, in the first playoff game from a lot of these guys, that it looked eerily familiar to the last two months,” Hinch said.

The Astros entered the series with not only the advantage of home field, but of experience -- 103 games of postseason play since 2015. They also had the experience of beating Skubal, handing the left-hander one of his four regular-season losses in what will likely end up a Cy Young Award-winning campaign. Skubal used the experience of that June 14 loss against them, changing speeds and inviting early swings to rack up quick outs.

“We ran into a pretty good left-handed pitcher,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s been really good all year.”

Skubal needed just five pitches to retire the Astros in order in the first inning, starting with a first-pitch flyout from Jose Altuve. Skubal repeated the feat with a five-pitch fifth, this time ending with an Altuve first-pitch out. Just two other Major League pitchers since 2000 had put up two innings of five pitches or fewer in a postseason start: Kansas City’s Johnny Cueto in Game 5 of the 2015 AL Division Series against Houston, and Yankees great Andy Pettitte in Game 2 of the 2003 World Series vs. the Marlins.

“Those guys swing early and often, put the ball in play,” Skubal said. “You have to be relentless at throwing strikes and getting ahead. When you get behind, that's when the damage starts happening. Understanding that, but executing pitches from pitch one and being relentless and continuing getting leverage and keeping pressure on them as they're trying to put pressure on me, that's where I was at mentally with all that.”

Not only did Skubal retire Houston’s first six batters, he threw a first-pitch strike to the first seven and to 17 of 23 for his outing. His quick innings counteracted the 29-pitch inning the Astros forced upon him in the fourth, when Skubal escaped a two-on, one-out threat by fanning Jeremy Peña and Victor Caratini on changeups. The yell from Skubal after striking out Caratini could be heard through the indoor confines of Minute Maid Park.

“You see him screaming off the mound, as competitive as he is. We see that every day,” Hinch said, “and I'm glad the baseball world gets to see that on the biggest stage of the year so far, because it's authentic and it's a real impact to our club.”

The biggest threat Skubal faced Tuesday was his health. He shook his head in frustration after taking a Yainer Diaz comebacker off the base of his glove hand in the second inning, similar to a Brenton Doyle comebacker four outings ago that shortened his start against the Rockies. Four innings later, Skubal called catcher Jake Rogers and the training staff to the mound for cramping after throwing a 99.8 mph fastball to Alex Bregman. Again, Skubal stayed in the game after a couple warmup tosses.

“I said, ‘Give me one more -- obviously, Bregman,’” Rogers said. “I asked for one more, and he got two. Those are some big pitches right there.”

Bregman just missed a home run with a single off the top of the left-field fence, but Skubal fanned Diaz on his 88th and final pitch, again yelling into the air before screaming into his glove.

“There's part of it that you kind of black out and that just happens,” Skubal said of the reaction. “It's just emotion. It's how I play the game. I feed off of it and was able to make some good pitches, especially after a long Bregman at-bat.”

Skubal became just the third pitcher in Tigers history to post a scoreless outing of six or more innings in his postseason debut, joining Max Scherzer from the 2011 AL Division Series and Joe Coleman in the 1972 AL Championship Series. Skubal became the first Tiger to post such a start in the first game of their postseason.

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"Skub is Skub," Rogers said. "If this is your first time watching him, that's what he's done all year. He's been electric, he's been in the zone and he's challenged guys all year. It's hard to say [anything] other than Skub was Skub. It was awesome."

Skubal’s heroics allowed Detroit’s three-run second inning off Framber Valdez to stand as the difference in the game, including two-out RBI singles from former Astros prospect Rogers, Trey Sweeney and Vierling.