There is a chance that Tarik Skubal made his final start as a member of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
If so, he is going out with a bang. Skubal struck out Taylor Ward in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park, and the Tigers pitcher became the 17th player in franchise history to record 1,000 strikeouts.
On top of that, he became the fastest ever in Detroit history to do so, passing the mark previously held by future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.
Tarik Skubal strikes out Taylor Ward to lead off the game.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 29, 2026
He is the 17th pitcher to reach 1,000 strikeouts with the @Tigers.
Fastest to reach the milestone in franchise history, surpassing Max Scherzer. @MLBNetwork
Here was the 1,000th strikeout of Skubal’s career.
Tarik Skubal records his 1,000th career strikeout! https://t.co/xiDurzeT8U pic.twitter.com/KirzyeCXHp
— MLB (@MLB) July 29, 2026
Skubal, who won the American League Cy Young Award last season, will be arguably the best player on the market, especially if the San Diego Padres decide not to trade Mason Miller.
The Tigers reportedly have a heavy asking price for Skubal, and one MLB insider even said the Los Angeles Dodgers could be in the driver’s seat to land Skubal.
Still, it remains to be seen if the Tigers trade Skubal, although they entered Wednesday’s game six games below .500 and 3.5 games behind in the AL Wild Card race, so it makes sense to open the phones for him.
The MLB trade deadline is on August 3, and if this is Skubal’s final time in a Tigers uniform, at least fans can remember him setting a career milestone at home.
