Tigers' Tarik Skubal has done the same thing in 122 of his 123 MLB starts

Tarik Skubal is just about as consistent as they come.

The Detroit Tigers' left-handed pitching superstar, and the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the American League, does something almost every time he takes the mound.

Skubal did it again on Sunday Night Baseball against the Rangers, too.

What is it?

Skubal throws a 4-seam fastball on the first pitch of the game, almost every time.

In fact, according to ESPN, it has been 122 out of 123 career MLB starts that Skubal has started with the 4-seamer.

The only time Skubal didn't do it was this season, on June 29 against the Twins. He threw Byron Buxton a first-pitch changeup, and Buxton couldn't help but chuckle.

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They showed the stat on the ESPN2 Statcast broadcast before Skubal threw his first pitch Sunday night and acknowledged that, of course, Skubal knows about the stat. They wondered if he would mix it up.

Naturally, he just threw the 4-seamer.

Skubal's fastball is one of baseball's best pitches. He pours it into the zone and challenges hitters anywhere from the mid-to-high 90s.

And even on the first pitch of the game, when they know it's coming, damage is rarely done.

On this night, Wyatt Langford was first-pitch swinging. He got the fastball he was expecting. 

But it was one pitch, one out, as Skubal induced a harmless flyout to centerfield.

The recipe worked again.

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