Skubal destroys Guardians with 13-K, 94-pitch shutout

This was Tarik Skubal's masterpiece.

The Detroit Tigers ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner turned in one of the majors' finest outings of this decade Sunday, spinning a two-hit, 13-strikeout shutout on just 94 pitches against the Cleveland Guardians in a 5-0 victory.

Skubal finished his first career complete game by fanning Gabriel Arias on a 103-mph fastball. It was both the fastest strikeout pitch by a starting pitcher since tracking began in 2008 and the fastest ever thrown by a starter in the ninth inning or later, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

(Video source: MLB.com)

"It's pretty special. These fans are incredible," Skubal told the Roku broadcast moments after the final out. "When you run back out there for the ninth, the emotions that kind of run through me - I'm an emotional player, and (you) take a second and appreciate it for sure."

Skubal's 13 Ks are the most ever by a pitcher in a shutout of 99 pitches or fewer, according to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. The previous record of 12 for this feat - which has become widely known as a "Maddux," in honor of the legendary pitcher who did it a record 14 times - was shared by Sandy Koufax in his 1964 no-hitter, Cliff Lee in 2011, and Carlos Carrasco in 2014.

The 28-year-old also set a new Tigers record for strikeouts without issuing a walk in a shutout, breaking the old mark of 10 set by "Wild" Bill Donovan against the St. Louis Browns in 1908, per Stathead. The 13 strikeouts also tied the franchise record for Ks in a shutout by a left-hander and were one off the team's overall mark.

The southpaw's Game Score of 96 is the highest by a Tigers pitcher since Hall of Famer Jim Bunning's no-hitter on July 20, 1958 (Bunning scored a 97 in that outing). Bunning and Justin Verlander, who did it twice, are the only other Tigers with Game Scores of 95 or better in a nine-inning start. Skubal is also just the sixth pitcher to record a Game Score above 95 this decade.

Cleveland had no answers for Skubal, who started his day with five perfect innings before allowing a leadoff double to Will Wilson in the sixth. The Guardians only had three total baserunners on the day (two singles and one hit-by-pitch), none of whom advanced beyond second base.

With such little resistance from Cleveland and an efficient pitch count, it made manager AJ Hinch's decision to let Skubal pitch the ninth a very easy one.

"In this era, starting pitching still matters," Hinch said. "Obviously, we are careful across the industry in how we handle these guys, and the pitch counts have diminished and the inning totals have diminished. Sometimes it's your big boy's day, and you got to leave him out there."

The outing lowered Skubal's ERA to 2.49 and dropped his WHIP to 0.84 through 11 starts. He also took over the AL strikeout lead with 92 and owns the majors' lowest BB/9 rate at 0.9, while his 13.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio is nearly two points better than the single-season record.

All of the run support he needed came during a five-run Tigers fourth against Cleveland's Logan Allen. Zach McKinstry provided the winning blow with a two-run homer.