With a variety of pitches, including a 97-mph sinker, a 97-mph four-seam fastball, and a changeup in the upper 80s, Detroit Tigers lefthander Tarik Skubal has been one of the toughest pitchers to face this season. He’s won 13 games and posted an eye-popping WHIP of just 0.891.
Foul tip in MLB Playoffs sounded like ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin’s entrance music
Tarik Skubal got fouled off, and it shattered a camera.
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
The difficulty in facing him extends beyond the batter’s box.
In the bottom of the fourth inning of Tuesday’s Wild Card game between the Tigers and the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland outfielder Angel Martínez dug into the batter’s box to try and get a hit off the lefty. With the count at 0-2, Skubal dialed up one of those four-seam fastballs up in the zone, clocking in at 100 mph.
Martínez did his best to foul the pitch off, but what followed next had many wondering if Stone Cold Steve Austin was about to make an appearance:
Martínez fouled the pitch straight back, shattering a camera set up behind home plate. The sound was rather reminiscent of the glass breaking WWE fans would hear before Stone Cold entered the building:
To his credit, Martínez singled on a changeup later in the at-bat. He would score on an infield single by Gabriel Arias to tie the game at 1-1.
Skubal and the Tigers would get the last laugh, as they held on for a 2-1 win to take Game 1 of the series.
And shatter a camera in the process.
See More:
