The face of the Tigers' franchise has a message for the fans. Coming off the team's best season in a decade, Tarik Skubal wrote a letter to Detroit ahead of Thursday's season opener against the World Champion Dodgers.
It began with how much Skubal, who's from a small town in Arizona, shares with the people of Detroit: "We have a lot more in common than you might think," he wrote. "As I’ve learned more about our city, it’s clear that Detroit has faced its fair share of adversity, which has at times put its future in question. For me ... I only had one offer to play Division 1 baseball, some pretty difficult injuries, and other setbacks that made my future feel uncertain.
"But this city is resilient and this team is resilient. The adversity we face makes the eventual greatness even more rewarding."
Just as the Tigers went from "a 0.2% chance of making the postseason to hosting playoff games at Comerica Park" last year, Skubal went "from a ninth-round pick to a unanimous Cy Young winner -- just as Detroit went "from a city in crisis to one of the greatest renaissance stories in America."
"We are all overcoming the odds," Skubal wrote. "You believe in us, and we all believe in you."
Skubal said he felt "the grit and the grind, the hustle and the attitude, the culture and authenticity" of Detroit "more than ever at the end of last season. The way you all showed up and created an electric atmosphere made me feel so proud to be a part of this community."
"It’s a new era of Tigers baseball, and we’re building something different. A new standard has been set, and we’re about to clock in like the blue-collar people of this city. So, say what you want about us ... about Detroit … we have unfinished business, so ... let’s run it back."