Tarik Skubal had it all mapped out. The Detroit Tigers’ ace was gonna make one start for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic – Saturday night against Great Britain – then head back to Spring Training.
That plan’s starting to look shaky.
Skubal got caught up in the whole WBC experience Saturday night. The energy, the emotion, the atmosphere – it hit different than he expected. Now he’s reconsidering his exit strategy.
He told reporters after the game that he’s looking into making another start for Team USA in this tournament.
“I didn’t expect these types of emotions to run through my brain or my thoughts to differ. I was committed to making a start and getting back to camp. Things have changed, obviously. I’m going to have some conversations and try to figure out a plan.”
Team USA’s got plenty of pitching depth, so they weren’t gonna be lost without Skubal.
But keeping him? That’s a game-changer. We’re talking about one of the best pitchers on the planet – a guy who’s won the last two AL Cy Young awards.
Skubal gave up a first-inning run to Great Britain on Saturday but locked it down from there. He went three innings, allowed two hits, and struck out five. Threw 41 pitches, 30 for strikes – pretty efficient work.
If he does come back for another start, you’d figure he could probably get stretched out to around 60 pitches.
Any amount of Skubal would be huge for Team USA. The WBC clearly has this pull on players that’s hard to walk away from once you’re in it. Skubal’s finding that out firsthand.
What makes this interesting is the timing. Spring Training’s ramping up, but the WBC experience seems to be winning the battle for Skubal’s attention right now. That says something about what this tournament means to these guys.
