On Saturday, May 31, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch pulled left-hander Tarik Skubal from a tie game against the Kansas City Royals after 90 pitches and seven shutout innings. In the end, the Tigers lost 1-0.
In the eighth inning, against right-handed reliever Beau Brieske, the Royals scored nearly instantly. Vinnie Pasquantino hit an RBI single, and Nick Loftin smacked a double with one out. That was enough for the team to win.
Why the Tigers Manager Pulled Tarik Skubal
Before the series finale against the Royals on Sunday, June 1, Hinch explained his choice to pull Skubal. According to Evan Petzold, Tigers beat writer for Detroit Free Press, Hinch said, “It’s way easier to just let guys go until they can’t go anymore. We need all of our pitchers.
A.J. Hinch removed Tarik Skubal from Saturday’s game against the Royals after seven scoreless innings and 90 pitches.
The #Tigers lost, 1-0.
On Sunday morning, Hinch explained his decision to pull Skubal: pic.twitter.com/yvtNvbV4xY
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) June 1, 2025
“I know more information of what’s going on in the dugout in between innings — fatigue levels, hydration, the long race that we’re trying to run. So, you make a call like that. If we had gotten through that game and won, there wouldn’t be a question that comes up,” he added.
This season, only two Tigers starting pitchers have thrown 100 pitches. Jack Flaherty threw 108 pitches on May 22 in a 7-0 defeat to the Cleveland Guardians, and Jackson Jobe threw 100 pitches on May 12 in a 14-2 victory against the Boston Red Sox.
Jobe injured his elbow, spraining his flexor tendon, three starts later. He is out for at least one month, but it can be extended to two months. Hinch probably took Skubal out before something similar happened. The Tigers cannot afford that if they are aiming at the World Series.
As long as he is healthy, Skubal should contend for a second consecutive Cy Young Award. The 28-year-old, who is 5-2 so far this season, is a key factor in Detroit’s 38-21 record going into Sunday’s games, which is the best record in the American League. In just 75.2 innings pitched, he has struck out 99 batters.
Conversely, Kansas City’s Michael Wacha also went seven scoreless. He struck out six and gave up only one hit, booking a one-walk. He reduced his ERA to 2.88 even though he received a no-decision.
With two baserunners allowed, both starters pitched seven scoreless innings. Wacha had six strikeouts while Skubal had seven. They fought each other to a draw individually.
The bullpen ultimately decided the game, and Vinnie Pasquantino’s RBI single off Beau Brieske in the eighth inning was the difference in the Tigers’ 1-0 loss to Detroit, ending their five-game winning streak.