Tigers' Tarik Skubal makes untimely MLB history as Detroit nears 'greatest' playoff collapse

The Detroit Tigers seemed to have their division locked up, but in the final week of the season, that no longer appears to be the case. The Tigers have experienced one of the worst collapses in recent memory, and the playoffs are far from guaranteed now.

“Aug. 25: Detroit holds a 12.5-game lead over Cleveland. Sept. 23: The Guardians beat the Tigers to tie them atop the AL Central — and now own the tiebreaker, too. One of the great surges and collapses we’ve ever seen, all over the course of less than a month,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote.

With the pressure mounting, the Tigers made a move by scheduling starter Tarik Skubal for two games this week. Skubal is Detroit’s ace, and the team is making that very clear with this decision.

“If Skubal is starting Tuesday, that puts him in line to start the regular-season finale against the Red Sox at Fenway Park should the Tigers need to squeeze out a win on the final day of the 2025 campaign. It's not a scenario anybody wants, and it'll put Skubal's availability for a potential Wild Card series in jeopardy, but the Tigers need to prepare for the worst-case scenario given how poorly they have played for over two months now,” Motor City Bengals’ Colin Keane wrote.

The pressure showed on Tuesday, when Skubal made MLB history at the worst possible time.

“Tonight marked the first time in MLB history a former Cy Young winner (Tarik Skubal) had an error, a wild pitch and a balk all in the same inning,” Opta Stats posted.

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The Tigers are far from comfortable, and until they start winning, the pressure will remain. With just five games left on the schedule, it’s now or never.

For Skubal, Tuesday’s game got to him, but he has a chance to redeem himself on Sunday with the opportunity to secure a playoff spot for his team.