The Detroit Tigers needed a dominant effort in order to win Game 1 of their series against the Cleveland Guardians. Luckily for them, Tarik Skubal answered the call in resounding fashion . The AL Cy Young favorite pitched 7.2 innings, striking out 14 batters en route to a 2-1 win. He fought Guardians ace Gavin Williams in a pitcher's duel, coming through for AJ Hinch in the end.

Skubal had fans in Detroit ecstatic after the win, breaking a slump that has bothered the team for weeks. The Tigers nearly gave their playoff spot away with a string of losses in the final stretch of the regular seaosn. However, Skubal and Hinch led the team to the sixth seed in the AL playoff picture, setting up a divisional matchup against the Guardians to kick off their playoff run.

Skubal is one of the f

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