Tarik Skubal’s One-Game Stint For Team USA: Grateful For the Ace, Craving The Fireworks Against The Best

 

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is just around the corner, and while Team USA is once again loaded with superstar talent, the biggest headline out of Lakeland this week came with a side of “what if?”

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner, confirmed Monday that he will make exactly one start for the red, white, and blue during pool play in Houston. After that, he’s heading straight back to Tigers camp to stay locked in for the 2026 regular season.

Skubal’s scheduled outing? March 7 against Great Britain.

Yes, you read that right. The most dominant left-hander in baseball is stepping onto the international stage for one game… against Great Britain.

Let’s be crystal clear: Team USA is incredibly fortunate to have Tarik Skubal at all.

In a contract year with free agency on the horizon and the Tigers eyeing a serious AL Central push, Skubal could have easily sat this one out. Instead, he’s carving out space in his spring schedule because he wants to represent his country. He said it himself: “I’m trying to do both things… and I’m grateful they took me in that capacity.” That kind of commitment from a generational arm deserves nothing but respect and appreciation.

Wouldn’t it be absolutely electric to see that same Tarik Skubal toe the rubber against Mexico on March 9? Or, better yet, in a quarterfinal or semifinal showdown against Japan, the Dominican Republic, or a Puerto Rico squad stacked with big-league bats? Picture him staring down Shohei Ohtani, Manny Machado, or Juan Soto with the bases loaded and the WBC crowd roaring.

Thank you, Tarik, for saying yes when so many others say no. Thank you for giving Team USA and every kid watching from Little League fields to living rooms across America a glimpse of what peak pitching looks like. The U.S. roster already boasts Paul Skenes and a murderers’ row of position players, but adding the Tigers’ ace, even for 60-75 pitches, makes this team feel like the clear favorite.

We’ll be glued to the TV on March 7, screaming for every strikeout. We’ll cheer wildly if Team USA punches its ticket to Miami for the final. And if Skubal somehow ends up in the stands as a spectator, we’ll still be grateful he showed up at all.