The Detroit Tigers were one of the most surprising teams of the 2024 season.
After missing the previous nine seasons, the Tigers made the playoffs as a wild card with an 86-76 record.
Not only did the Tigers qualify for the postseason, but they also won their wild-card contest against the Houston Astros, who had reached the American League Championship Series seven times in a row.
A big reason for the Tigers’ success this season has been Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
Jake Rodgers caught all 31 of Scubal’s starts this season, and he recently provided some insight into what was said during their visits to the mound.
“When I visited a rare hill, he used to say: “What are you doing here,” Rodgers said via SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio.
Tarik Skubal has been on autopilot for the 2024 season. # Tigers |: @tigers:
🔗 https://t.co/fGPbvbjGlC pic.twitter.com/D1wDQTTPVR— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) November 21, 2024
Rodgers revealed that he and Scubal have been on the same sideline for most of the season, and that Scubal may have fired him once after a game.
Scubal won his first Cy Young Award after starting 31 games and posting an 18-4 record with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 192.0 innings.
Along with his dominant regular season, Skubal excelled in the postseason, pitching 19.0 innings, allowing five earned runs and striking out 20 in his three starts (1-1 record).
The Tigers lost in the ALDS to the Cleveland Guardians and will look to win their first AL Central title since 2014 in 2025.
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