When two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal signed on to pitch for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic, it was heralded as a watershed moment.
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Skubal, along with two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, gives the United States the two best pitchers in the tournament – and the two best pitchers that have ever competed for them in the WBC’s 20-year history.
The enthusiasm dampened slightly when Skubal revealed he wouldn’t pitch in the WBC after pool play ended, effectively robbing Team USA of one of its best options in a potential elimination game. He allowed one run in a start against Great Britain, a game the Americans won 9-1.
“I need to get back to (Tigers) camp and get back to my routine,” Skubal told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale of his plan for the semifinal and final rounds of the WBC, “but I want to go to Miami and just be at those (WBC) games. … I might just be there and be a cheerleader.”
Monday, Skubal made the decision official: he’s headed back to the Tigers’ camp for the remainder of spring training after Team USA’s game against Mexico on March 9.
Skubal is entering his final MLB season before he is eligible for free agency. He and his agent, Scott Boras, did not want to risk an injury by having Skubal overextend himself in March. That’s a unique, if understandable, predicament among players participating in the WBC.
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