'Pit in your stomach:' Hinch, Tigers bracing for "awkward" Skubal return

Every game matters, they all count the same. When you play 162, it's crucial to keep each one in proper perspective.

But Friday's not just another game, is it?

A.J. Hinch chuckled: "No, it doesn’t feel like it, does it?"

Friday will mark Tarik Skubal's return to Comerica Park. The two-time Cy Young winner for the Tigers is scheduled to take the mound in Detroit for the Dodgers, just a few weeks after he was traded to LA. Hinch fielded questions about Skubal almost every day leading up to the deadline, until he was finally dealt on the second day of August. The chatter has since subsided. Skubal went off to the Dodgers, and the Tigers went on with their season.

Now they meet again.

"This is the first Skubal question I’ve gotten this week, so congrats," Hinch said with a laugh on 97.1 The Ticket. "Nice work."

Hinch and Skubal experienced a lot over six seasons together. They ultimately helped lead the Tigers back to contention. Skubal pitched them into the playoffs in 2024, snapping a 10-year drought, and did so again last year while collecting his second straight Cy Young. For those two seasons, the Tigers were 42-20 in games that Skubal pitched -- and an even .500 in all others. He had the franchise on his shoulders.

It will be jarring for everyone -- Hinch, Skubal, Skubal's former teammates, the fans -- when he climbs onto the mound at Comerica with the aim of beating the Tigers.

"I probably shouldn’t even say this, but if he was going to get traded, I was kind of rooting for off the schedule to not deal with this until next year or whatever happens with his career," said Hinch. "Because I do think there’s this pit in your stomach that comes with seeing your old players. We haven’t done that the last couple of years. Obviously we saw Jake (Rogers), which was weird enough it is, but Tarik’s tough to face, and it’s tougher to face him in the same year in which he wore your uniform."

Scott Harris and the Tigers realized long ago they weren't going to reach an extension with Skubal. They loaded up for a run at the World Series this season knowing Skubal was destined for free agency, then watched it fall apart amid injuries and underperformance. The Tigers made a push across June and July to get back in the race, while Skubal lobbied for the team to add at the deadline.

But after a stumble at the end of July, Harris decided the roster was too flawed to keep Skubal and pass on the chance to inject young talent into the organization. The Tigers sent him to the Dodgers for three prospects, headlined by Double-A outfielder Zyhir Hope and pitcher River Ryan, who could debut for Detroit later this season.

We'll see how long the Skubal era lasts in LA. He's looked human so far, with a 3.38 ERA across four starts. Asked how he'll remember the Skubal era in Detroit, Hinch joked, "Can I wait to see how he pitches against us on Friday?"

"First off, I love this guy," said Hinch. "I am close with this guy. And in time, the sting of losing him and all we went through at the deadline will ease. But I will always have crazy respect for Tarik and how he helped build where we’re at now. Our expectations are high, our standards are super high. Some of the most important games that I’ve managed for the Tigers over the last two years have involved Tarik, so nothing but respect for him."

When they face him Friday night, "we gotta separate two things," said Hinch.

"Obviously there’s going to be the awkward weirdness of having him go to the other bullpen. I’m sure the fans and the organization will hat-tip him in some way," said Hinch. "And then you gotta separate that from the player out there throwing pellets to the plate. We know how he’s going to pitch and we know when he’s good, we know what he struggles with, so you separate the player and the person."