When Tarik Skubal received the unanimous American League Cy Young Award on his 28th birthday in November 2024, the Detroit Tigers ace stood surrounded by the people who shaped his journey from a competitive kid in California to baseball’s most dominant pitcher. Behind every strikeout, every clutch performance that led the Tigers to their first playoff appearance in a decade, stands a family that understood the delicate balance between pushing boundaries and providing unwavering support.

The left-hander’s path to baseball excellence didn’t begin in Detroit’s Comerica Park, but rather in the living rooms and backyard games of a household where competition was currency and character was king. Skubal’s parents, Russ and Laura, created an environment where their four boys learned that success

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