CLEVELAND, Ohio — Tarik Skubal and the Guardians have a complicated history.

It’s a rivalry that has grown sharper with every outing, and particularly in Skubal’s case, last postseason’s heartbreak.

In the last 12 days alone, Skubal has faced Cleveland three times, and Tuesday’s 2-1 Game 1 victory in the American League wild card series was the first time the Tigers left Progressive Field with a win. That streak-breaking moment echoed the winds of change for Skubal’s history against the Guardians.

Last year, in Game 5 of the AL Division Series, Skubal dazzled through much of the contest before a grand slam by Lane Thomas in the fifth inning flipped the script and ended Detroit’s season.

Cleveland fans no doubt imagined a sequel, a similar twist of fate. Only Tuesday, the story read

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