An epic Interleague clash is set to unfold Friday night in Detroit as unstoppable force meets immovable object. On one side, baseball’s best pitcher, Tarik Skubal. He’ll take the ball for the Tigers, who hold MLB’s best record at 41-23. On the other side, the Cubs’ offensive juggernaut, which has propelled Chicago to an NL-best 39-23 mark.
After winning the American League Cy Young Award last season, Skubal has found a way to get even better in 2025. He owns a 2.26 ERA with 99 strikeouts and seven walks on the year -- good for a 14.14 K/BB ratio that would be an all-time record.
The last time Skubal started at home, he took a perfect-game bid into the sixth inning on May 25 against the Guardians and ended up tossing a complete-game shutout with 13 strikeouts, the last of which came on a game-ending 102.6 mph fastball -- the fastest K by a starting pitching in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).
Skubal followed that up with seven scoreless innings on the road against the Royals his last time out, albeit in a 1-0 loss.
Of course, facing the Cubs' lineup could prove to be a bit more challenging for Skubal. Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Co. have scored an average of 5.74 runs per game, the highest figure in the Majors.