"He's the best pitcher": Schubal completes 13K and makes history with 102.6mph

The cheers at Comerica Park were as loud as professional wrestling fans were expecting a finish, and Tarik Skubal found himself in a sweet frustration as he went 2-0 down in nine innings when he was too loud to hear PitchCom's headphones. "It was too loud," Skubal explained after the game, "and I had to get catcher Dillon Dingler to communicate on the hill. This pause allowed the audience to catch their breath and also allowed him to turn up the volume of his headphones to the maximum.

When the 102.6mph speedball cut through the good ball band and Guardian shortstop Gabriel Arias struck a strikeout, it was the fastest ball speed ever in Tigers history in the Statcast era (since 2015) and the latest strikeout (ninth inning) by an MLB starting pitcher since the 2008 ball speed tracking. Skubal completed his first career clean sheet with 94 goals, becoming the second consecutive season of Tigers to complete a "Maddox finish" (less than 100 goals) after Keider Montero's 96-goal finish against Rocky on September 10 last year, and broke the record with 13 strikeouts (the previous record was held by Carlos Carrasco, Cliff Lee and Sandy Cofax).

"When the crowd stands and cheers, it happens," Schubal couldn't hide his excitement, "I almost burst into tears before the opening nine innings, and I would never have imagined a moment like this at the age of 12." The left-hand shooter was perfectly pressed in the first five innings, and it wasn't until the sixth inning that Will Wilson hit second base, allowing only two batters to the Guardians to go to base. Guardians coach Stephen Watt exclaimed: "The best pitcher in baseball today is well deserved. "

The scene of 37,031 spectators chanting his name in unison at the nine-inning set contrasts with the memory of being sunk by Lane Thomas' slam cannon in last year's American League divisional game. In the first matchup of the game, Skubal personally handled Thomas rolling the ball and rushing to first base to kill, causing Guardians first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. to praise his defense. "That moment made me smile," Skubal admitted, "but the nightmare is a thing of the past." "

Tiger leader AJ Kimchi Hinch's dispatch is a sign of trust: "When your ace is in good shape, you have to let him dominate the game. That trust was rewarded with a historic moment when the 102.6mph speedball not only set a new record for the latest innings of his career (101.7mph in the previous inning), but also surpassed Justin Weeland's 2009 record of 101.3mph and became the fastest pitcher in the Statcast era for the ninth inning or later. Dingler exclaimed: "It's incredible. "

When the scoreboard went 5-0, Detroit's early sunshine saw a pitcher go from haze to legend. As Walter put it, "He's the best pitcher in baseball, and that's true today." "