Alex Bregman reacts as Tarik Skubal gives shoutout to ex-Red Sox star amid free agency buzz

Tarik Skubal had a hilarious interaction with Alex Bregman on Friday. The Detroit Tigers' pitchers and two-time Cy Young award winner attributed his early morning hustle to the slugger who has got the better of him in their encounters.

On Friday, Skubal's trainer and longtime friend Justin Wakefield shared a picture of a field during the wee hours of the morning on his Instagram. The time, 6:54 a.m., was tagged on the picture.

Skubal reshared it on his own account, blaming Bregman for the early morning training. The third baseman reacted with two laughing emojis.

Tarik Skubal and Alex Bregman's interaction on their Instagram stories (Source: Instagram @abreg_1, @tarikskubal)

Bregman has troubled Skubal at the plate in the past. During this year's matchup between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox on May 15, the Red Sox infielder hit Skubal for two singles and a home run in his three plate appearances.

Bregman had swung on the very first pitch of the first two at-bats, the second of which included the home run. This prompted Skubal to shout at Bregman to "take a pitch." He did take a strike in the top of the sixth inning, before driving a changeup to right field for a single on the second pitch.

That inning ended up being Skubal's last as the Red Sox completed a three-run comeback to tie the game. But Detroit eventually won 6-5 on a walk-off single by Justyn-Henry Malloy.

Taking a look at Alex Bregman and Tarik Skubal's rivalry

Following their May 15 encounter, Bregman was 6-for-12 in four regular season games against Skubal. Interestingly, the three singles, the double, the triple and the home run have all come in the first two pitches of the at-bat.

The first time they played each other was way back in 2022, when Alex Bregman was part of the Astros' title-winning roster. He hit 1-for-3 against the Tigers starter. The Astros won that game by a slim 3-2 margin.

Bregman repeated similar statlines in the two regular season games between the Astros and the Tigers on May and June 15, 2024. The Astros and the Tigers traded blows, each winning one.

The pair had also faced each other during the 2024 Wild Card Series, where Bregman went 1-for-3. Detroit then came out on top in October.

Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy