Detroit Tigers stay hot at home with 2-1 victory over Rangers behind Tarik Skubal’s historic start

DETROIT – The weather in the city is heating up and so are the Detroit Tigers as they took down the Texas Rangers 2-1 behind a stellar performance by Triple Crown winner Tarik Skubal.

Skubal was a monster on Friday (May 9) as he flirted with perfection through five innings while keeping the Rangers guessing all night.

In seven innings, he gave up two hits, no walks, one run, and 12 strikeouts while clocking 100 miles per hour in the victory.

The Tiger King generated 32 swing-and-misses on May 9, 2025, which was the most by any pitcher in a start so far in the 2025 season.

Skubal also accumulated 50 strikeouts and one walk over his last six starts while improving to 4-2 on the season.

He is the only pitcher with 50+ strikeouts, no more than one walk, and an earned run average under 1.000 over a six-start period.

The reigning Cy Young award winner also became the first pitcher since earned runs became official in 1913 to reach marks or better in a six-game span.

Catcher Dillon Dingler was masterful behind the plate for the 26-13 Tigers, who improved to 14-3 at home while winning eight out of their last 10 games.

Dingler, who was 1-3 with an RBI double in the second inning, spoke after the game on Skubal’s dominance on the mound vs. the Rangers.

“I feel like that’s him every time he goes out there,” Dingler said. “He was keeping guys honest, and we were on the same page for the most part, and he was just dominant tonight for the most part, and he did an absolute phenomenal job.”

After striking out Marcus Semien in the seventh inning, the camera caught Skubal saying ‘I’m tired."

The at-bat between the two went on for eight or nine pitches, during which Skubal threw 96 pitches, 70 of which were called strikes.

After he got out of the inning, relief pitchers Tommy Kahnle and Will Vest came in to close the games in the eighth and ninth innings to extend the Tigers’ winning streak to five consecutive games.

“It’s always good to come home after a long road trip. Guys got in late. You could expect a low-energy game, but I didn’t want that to happen, and the guys came out and played good baseball. I was proud that I was a product of it,” said Skubal.

Dingler talked about the team’s confidence in its bullpen, which has continued to wear its capes through 39 games this season.

“We have so much confidence in the bullpen,” Dingler said. “A lot of praise goes to our starters, but our bullpen has been nails all year. So, they come in night after night and shut the door.”

Colt Keith‘s RBI single in the fourth inning scored the go-ahead run, ultimately giving the Tigers the victory Friday night.

Keith has been hot since the Colorado Rockies’ three-game series, and he’s turned a corner as the Tigers continue on their hot streak.

He went 2-3 with two singles, an RBI, and a run scored as he hustled from first to third behind Dingler’s double in the bottom of the second inning to score both runs for the Tigers.

Look for the Tigers to keep the good times rolling as they host the Rangers on Saturday, May 10, inside Comerica Park with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m.

Taking the mound for the Tigers is World Series champion Jack Flaherty. The Rangers will send out Jacob deGrom to try to douse Detroit’s flames.

Fans in attendance will get their hands on a Skubal mystery bobblehead.

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