Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal gets emotional during pregame walk before Tigers clash

Tarik Skubal did not want to leave the Detroit Tigers. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar pitcher was born in California and is obviously embracing the chance to compete for a championship on the most successful franchise of the 2020s, but he was passionate about playing the final year of his contract in the Motor City. He loved his first MLB home, and it showed on Friday night.

Skubal wiped away tears and turned his head toward the big screen in Comerica Park, as the Tigers played a tribute video for his return to Detroit. The left-handed starter did not try to suppress his emotions before taking the mound. Instead, he acknowledged his former team by tapping his chest.

It is obvious that Skubal left a huge chunk of his heart in this stadium.

Dodgers’ ace Tarik Skubal emotional in his return to Detroit vs the Tigers

(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/fg8GbBVzAo

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Tigers fans had time to brace themselves for No. 29’s exit. They also knew that the loaded Dodgers were a likely landing spot. It still hurts to see him on the other side, though. The home crowd watched this ninth-round draft pick endure heartbreak and capture ecstasy during his near-six-year run with Detroit.

Skubal overcome flexor tendon surgery, won back-to-back American League Cy Young Awards and a Pitching Triple Crown, and lifted the franchise to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in more than a decade. He helped the Tigers return to relevance, even if it was rather brief, and the team and community extended him complete trust.

That special relationship is on full display in this series opener. Tarik Skubal unsurprisingly looks quite comfortable in Comerica, but Detroit leads 1-0 nonetheless, at time of print.

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