Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal reveals how 1 playoff game made him the pitcher he is today

With the Los Angeles Dodgers looking for their third straight World Series, one piece that will be crucial in helping them get it done is star pitcher Tarik Skubal. While Skubal believes he’s not playing up to his standards with the Dodgers since the blockbuster trade at the deadline, he would speak about one playoff game that has set him up for success.

That outing in particular is one that he recalls where he “failed at the biggest stage,” which was on Oct. 12, 2024, in Game 5 of the AL Division Series, where the Detroit Tigers faced the Cleveland Guardians. Skubal was on the mound that game, and in the bottom of the fifth inning, Skubal hit Jose Ramirez with a pitch that drove a run in and later let go of a grand slam by Lane Thomas, which led to the team being eliminated.

“I’m just not afraid of failure anymore,” Skubal said, via The New York Post. “Two or three days, I thought about it a lot…I wasn’t really able to watch baseball at the time.”

Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal speaks on failure sharpening himself 

Still proud of the way he competed, Skubal went into next season with determination, winning his second AL Cy Young Award, as the star would say, while it’s not ideal, “Failure is going to happen.” Being human means experiencing failure is inevitable, as that game threw him in the deep end, and it sharpened him and his mindset.

“I think I’m the most prepared player on the field every time I take the field,” Skubal said. “If I’m going to lose a game, I want it to be in my hands. I can wear the loss just because I know I prepare really well and I go out there, and I don’t really leave anything on the table. I give this game everything I’ve got. If I’m going to fail, I want it to be me. That’s kind of where I’m at mentally.”

Skubal looks to improve with his new team in Los Angeles as his next start comes on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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