Pitcher Tarik Skubal is set to make his highly anticipated home debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night against the Kansas City Royals. The start marks a significant moment for Skubal as he navigates his first season with the Dodgers after a trade from the Detroit Tigers, the only professional organization he had previously played for.
Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, acknowledged that the transition has been an emotional one. He recently shared on the "Pardon My Take" podcast that he cried while saying goodbye to his former Tigers teammates and expressed a desire to re-sign with Detroit as a free agent after the season. These remarks drew attention in Los Angeles, but Skubal emphasized his commitment to his new team.
"At the end of the day, I gotta do my job here," Skubal told the California Post. "Go play baseball and go out there and compete. Shift the mentality to give everything that I got to this team and the city of Los Angeles. That's kind of where I have to shift to."
Veteran Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who experienced a similar transition when he moved from the Atlanta Braves to Los Angeles in 2022, understands Skubal's sentiments. Freeman noted that adjusting after leaving a team with which a player has a long history, including shared experiences and organizational investment, takes time.
"You have all these friends, all these people you came up with in the minor leagues that are now with you as teammates," Freeman said. "You had 15-hour bus rides together. You’re doing all these things together. The organization invested in you. You invested in them. You can do everything you can to win a World Series, and it doesn’t happen, and then you get traded. So, you’re going to have emotions."
Freeman believes that the welcoming atmosphere at Dodger Stadium will be beneficial for Skubal. "Dodger Stadium is a special, special place, especially [with] those fans," he said. "They welcome the new guys in with open arms. They know how special he is, and what he means to the team and helping win another championship. I’m sure it’s going to be quite loud on a Monday night in August."
Skubal expressed his eagerness to connect with the Dodgers fanbase. "I’m excited to get in front of our own fans and get to know them and build relationships with them," he said. "Hopefully, they come to enjoy who I am and what I bring to the table."
Regarding his earlier comments about the Tigers, Skubal stated, "It doesn’t do me any good to kind of get into it." He also conveyed his appreciation for his time in Detroit, calling the situation "just the business of baseball."
The Dodgers are scheduled to visit Detroit for a three-game series from Aug. 28-30. Skubal anticipates an emotional return to Comerica Park, where he spent his entire major league career before the trade.
"I don’t know what to expect or if I’m going to start there," Skubal said. "I’m sure it’ll be emotional. I’m sure it’ll be a ton of fun, too, because I love all those guys. I’ve been competing with them for so long, it’ll be new to compete against them. Baseball’s the game. You gotta keep the game the game, and I look forward to it no matter how it spins out."