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By Tyler Erzberger
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Tarik Skubal is one of the best pitchers of his generation.
The Detroit Tigers ace has back-to-back American League Cy Youngs, and he is about to enter the most important season of his career.
Not only do the Tigers believe they can contend for the pennant in the American League, but it is the final year of Skubal's contract.
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If the flamethrower can exit the year healthy, regardless of what happens in 2026, he is set for the largest pitching contract in MLB history next offseason.
But before the regular season starts, Skubal announced he would be participating in the World Baseball Classic with Team USA. He joined fellow Cy Young winner Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates to create an unbeatable one-two punch in the knockout rounds for the American superteam.
What began as cheers and admiration for Skubal months ago has turned into ugly jeers, following the follow-up this past week that he will play only a single game in the WBC before returning to the Tigers.
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On Monday, it was discovered that the current plan for Skubal is to start against one of the weakest teams in the group, Great Britain, and throw around 55 pitches before getting back on the plane to return to spring training with the Tigers.
To say there has been outrage would be a gross understatement. Fans of the American team are demanding answers as to why the Cy Young winner is wasting a spot on the roster if he was only planning to throw 55 pitches against one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition.
"37-year-old Clayton Kershaw could give you 5 solid innings against Great Britain," one fan posted on X. "Why not save Skubal for an elimination game?"
"This is more anti-American than just not pitching in the WBC," another posted.
"If you don't want to commit to the WBC, that's fine," Matthew Gross, a Red Sox reporter, wrote on social media. "Don't show up at all! But this toe in the water and bail approach is deeply unserious and bad for the legitimacy of the tournament as a whole."
Although fans are upset, Skubal is still scheduled to pitch the USA's second game of the tournament against Great Britain. Logan Webb is scheduled to start the opener against Brazil, with Skenes lined up to face a difficult Mexico squad, and 24-year-old Nolan McLean to start the final group stage game against Italy.
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