Tarik Skubal regained his form as the Detroit Tigers secured their 50th win.

As Denzel Clarke's hit in the second inning went over Parker Meadows' outstretched glove and the center field wall, Tarik Skubal appeared visibly upset. He seemed poised to complete a leg lift strikeout motion but was instead struck by Clarke's 94 mph pitch, resulting in a 422-foot two-run homer—this was the second two-run homer hit against Skubal by the Athletics in consecutive innings.

After six innings, Skubal struck out Luis Urías with a 91 mph slider (his 97th pitch being the final one), kicking his leg and shouting in a release of adrenaline and fatigue. The Tigers won 11-4 against the Athletics on Wednesday (Tuesday night in Detroit), despite not having their best starter, but they triumphed over a team that had previously dominated them last year, becoming the first team in Major League Baseball this season to reach 50 wins.

Five days after Skubal pitched through rain against the Pirates, he and the Tigers faced an 81-minute rain delay. Once back on the mound, the Athletics quickly took advantage: Skubal walked Jacob Wilson (the first player to walk this season), and Brent Rooker immediately capitalized with a shot to deep left field off a 96 mph fastball.

This two-run homer ended Skubal's streak of 37 innings without allowing a home run since May 20, but it marked Rooker's third career homer against him. After retiring the next five batters, Tyler Soderstrom's two-out single extended the second inning, leading to Clarke hitting his second career homer.

The Athletics matched Skubal's season record for home runs allowed in a single game, reminiscent of last year's performance on the road—when two home runs nearly spoiled the Tigers' 2024 home opener. Additionally, following a nine-hit assault on the West Coast last September, the Athletics had previously faced Skubal twice without affecting the outcome.

The early offensive surge was all they could muster, which was far from enough to counter the Tigers' bombardment against their nemesis Luis Severino (who suffered his first loss to Detroit since 2016). Kerry Carpenter's home run in the first inning (his first since hitting three against the White Sox on June 2) neutralized Rooker's blast, ending Severino's streak of 17 consecutive scoreless innings against the Tigers since 2022. Wenceel Pérez's two-run double in the third inning tied the game again, and Dillon Dingler's three-run homer solidified Detroit's lead.

After giving up four runs on three hits in the first inning, Skubal settled down and struck out nine batters (including eight in a row after the lineup took the lead). He faced a threat from three hits among the last seven batters, but he struck out to end the fifth and sixth innings, securing his first win against the Athletics since September 21, 2023.

Pérez not only had two hits and two RBIs but also made a crucial defensive play in right field, cutting down two runners attempting to reach second base in the seventh inning. Riley Greene contributed with his fourth career four-hit game (his second this season).