Tarik Skubal is having second thoughts about making just one start in the World Baseball Classic. Following USA’s win over Great Britain on Saturday (USA 9, GB 1), Skubal said he will “make a decision here in the next couple days” about rejoining USA later in the WBC and pitching again at some point.
“This is gonna be one of the tougher decisions I’ve made in my career so far,” Skubal told MLB.com after Saturday’s game. “… It just changes your perspective a little bit, you know? And how proud I am to be an American and go out there and pitch and compete, (thinking about) the people that make real sacrifices for me to play a kids’ game. So we’ll see.”
Skubal added: “I didn’t expect these types of emotions to run through my brain, or my thoughts to differ. I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp. Things have changed, obviously. That’s why I’m gonna have some conversations and try to figure out a plan for me. But yeah, I don’t know either way.”Â
Skubal surrendered a home run on his first pitch Saturday, then settled in and retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced, with the one baserunner being an infield single. All told, Skubal struck out five and allowed just the one run on two hits in three innings. He was expected to throw 50-55 pitches, but instead exited after 41.
The original plan called for Skubal to start Saturday’s game against Great Britain, then leave Team USA and rejoin the Detroit Tigers. He previously mentioned returning later to the WBC to sit in the dugout to support the team, but now he’s considering making another start. Either way, Skubal’s USA teammates have been very supportive.
“He’s got to do what’s best for himself and his career,” USA first baseman Bryce Harper told The Athletic. “If he wants to stay, awesome, we’d love to have him, love him to start for us. But on the other side, I understand what it’s all about. For him to come in and even pitch with everything he has to do this year to get the dollar amount he wants, I respect it.”
Skubal will of course become a free agent after this season and he is positioned to sign the largest pitching contract in history. His agent, Scott Boras, will surely discourage him from making another WBC start because a high-stress outing in March creates injury risk, but the decision is ultimately Skubal’s and Skubal’s alone.
“I don’t think anything’s been determined,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday (via MLB.com). “I think he’s incredibly emotional about the experience. It’s a difficult time that weighs heavily on players because they want to do it all. I talked to him briefly and kind of let him talk through his emotions and let him talk through what’s on his mind. We agreed to talk again as things settled down a little bit and he got a good night’s sleep. He’ll wake up and get a good work day in today. I don’t know how it all ends, but I saw the interview and I saw the emotion and I know the human and I know that everything matters to him. He’s in a tough spot to accomplish everything.”
The schedule is a minor issue. Assuming USA wins Pool B, Skubal could start their quarterfinals game on March 13 with an extra day of rest. That would take him out of the running for a potential WBC Championship Game start on March 17. Skubal and the Tigers would then have to shift his schedule around to line him up for Opening Day.
Another option would be starting for the Tigers on normal rest on March 12, then starting a potential WBC Championship Game on March 17, also on normal rest. But again, that would knock Skubal off track for Opening Day. The schedule isn’t really a problem. It’s just a thing that would have to be worked through if Skubal pitches again in the WBC.
USA’s other three starters — Nolan McLean, Paul Skenes, Logan Webb — are all currently scheduled to make two WBC starts, with McLean lined up for the Championship Game. Matthew Boyd, Clay Holmes, and Michael Wacha are also on the roster and can start if needed. Clayton Kershaw is viewed as an emergency option for now.
USA is 2-0 and has outscored its opponents 24-6 through two games. Sunday is an off-day, then they’ll play Mexico in a highly anticipated game Monday night. Skenes is the scheduled starter.