Hello and welcome to where we are going to weigh in on the best pitcher at the moment. This MLB season, we have seen some of the best pitching. Be it MacKenzie Gore’s 93 strikeouts, Zack Wheeler’s 88 strikeouts or Carlos Rodon’s 80 strikeouts we have seen many more of them. However, there is another name that’s emerging to be the prime contender in the race for the best pitcher this season. And no surprise, the fans are also agreeing to it.

Any guesses of the name yet?

Well, we are talking about the Detroit Tigers’ $10.15 million star pitcher, Tarik Skubal. He is currently going 5-2 with a 2.49 ERA, 11 G, 68.2 IP and has already recorded 92 strikeouts. He is just behind MacKenzie Gore, but not to forget that he has a better ERA and win-loss record too.

A viral post on Instagram has caught the attention of fans, sparking reactions from everyone.

Well, as per the post, Tarik Skubal has etched his name in the history book of MLB records. “Is Tarik Skubal the best pitcher in baseball?,” TalkinBaseball questioned, accompanied by a post by Dalton Feely. The post read, “Pitchers in MLB history with a 9-inning complete game shutout, 13+ K’s, in under 100 pitches. Tarik Skubal… THAT’S IT. Skubal just threw the BEST MADDUX’ IN BASEBALL HISTORY.” Well, it’s like a dream for many pitchers; can you sense the hype around it?

We can look at the claim made in the post a bit more objectively, shall we? The post has been made with some analysis of the stats. All 13 strikeouts Tarik Skubal made with zero walks and allowing only two hits came in his 94 pitches. More significantly, he even clocked up to 102.6 mph, which is a record since 1988.

Basically, the post seemed to conclude the fact that Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in MLB at the moment. Now if we discuss the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians, it was complete dominance by the Tigers. Skubal was a complete beast who recorded his first closed game. As per reports, he is the only player in history to record a full shutout, and that too with the help of less than 100 pitches. So, the post somewhat seems to be true, don’t you think?

Perhaps that’s the reason why fans have reached the same consensus after the Tigers’ star achieved his historic feat.

Tigers’ $10.15M star’s historic feat has sent fans into a frenzy

It was a day where the Detroit Tigers dominated the Guardians like no one before. But the main highlight was the viral post that soon caught the attention of the fans and they were quick enough to respond.

One of the fans, showing his support for Tarik Skubal, said, “He’s been the best for two seasons now.” Yes, it’s completely true and there’s no doubt about it. Just like this season, Skubal has done great in 2024 as well. A 2.39 ERA, 31 G, 192.0 IP and 228 strikeouts with a 0.92 WHIP. And he seems to be continuing his good form this season as well. What more can anyone ask for? 

“Hit 103 on the last pitch. Absolutely insane. Best pitcher in baseball.” The fan’s got a point, though. Can you remember anyone hitting 103 on the last pitch? The American League Cy Young Award winner not only retired the first 15 batters while facing the Guardians but also threw a fastball that peaked at 103 mph and ultimately finished the shutout. It makes sense now why he is called the best.

Another comment by a fan, who compared Skubal with two other pitchers, was, “The only other pitchers who are even close to him right now are Paul Skenes and Max Fried; even then, Skubal is on his own level. Best pitcher in the game WITHOUT QUESTION.” He believes that only Max Fried and Paul Skenes can get close to him. Well, maybe we are not too sure. Guess why? Paul Skenes is currently at a 2.36 ERA and has made 70 strikeouts, while Max Fried stands at a 1.29 ERA with 67 strikeouts. A long way to go, though.

Appreciation posts not only poured from the Tigers’ fans but also from a Guardians’ fan, who wrote on Instagram, “As a Cleveland fan, that was impressive asf.” Well, the Cleveland Guardians is a team that never fails to impress its fans and others. Despite losing against the Tigers, the fan seems to have liked the way Tarik Skubal pitched, just like all of us, who cannot get enough of what we saw.

But then again, there was a little bit of a debatable reaction as well. One user wrote, “Debatable,” not completely agreeing to the claim that Tarik Skubal is the best. Well, if we see the record book, MacKenzie Gore has just one extra strikeout (93), although he has gone 2-5 with a 3.47 ERA. However, we cannot ignore Zack Wheeler, who went 6-1 with a 2.42 ERA and has made 88 strikeouts. So, all three of them have good records as pitchers, but currently, going by the way Skubal scripted history, he is undoubtedly the best.

But let’s hear it from you – do you think Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher this season?