Detroit >> When Tarik Skubal sprinted out of the dugout to start the top of the ninth inning Sunday, the crowd of 37,031 erupted. They understood all too well that something special was taking place.

“I got a little teary-eyed out there before the inning,” Skubal said. “It was pretty cool. I just thought to myself, the 12-year-old me wouldn’t have believed there was an opportunity to have a fan base support you the way it does and be in that moment.

“It was special all the way around.”

Skubal put on a performance for the ages, throwing his first career complete game, a two-hit shutout in 94 pitches with a career-high tying 13 strikeouts — a Maddux, as it’s called — helping the Tigers salvage the final game of the four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians, 5-0.

“It’s hard to top what he did,” manager AJ Hinch said. “What an incredible performance when a team needed it the most.”

The Tigers lost the first three games in the series in aggravating fashion and Skubal took the mound at 11:30 a.m. to accommodate the Roku broadcast — meaning the Tigers and Guardians played the latest game Saturday night and had the earliest start Sunday.

“You talk about a guy putting a team on its back,” Hinch said. “It was an incredible performance by an incredible pitcher.”

The 13 strikeouts are the most ever in a Maddux game (named after Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, it refers to a complete game shutout in less than 100 pitches). And Skubal is now the only Tigers pitcher to throw a complete game shutout with at least 13 strikeouts, no walks and two or fewer hits.

“That’s cool,” Skubal said. “Wish I could do that more often, but that’s kind of hard. I’m not really trying to pitch for accolades. I’m trying to win. I might give some guys in the clubhouse some (grief) about that, but that’s about it.”

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal gets the final out against the Cleveland Guardians in the ninth inning on Sunday, May 25, 2025 in Detroit.

Skubal set down 15 straight Guardians hitters to start the game, reminiscent of the gem he threw against the Rangers on May 9. Josh Smith led off the sixth inning with a single that day. Sunday, it was Will Wilson, who slammed a 97-mph sinker into the right-center gap leading off the sixth to break up Skubal’s bid for perfection.

“Oh yeah,” Skubal said. “Just like last time. I was thinking about it after the second inning. But you’re just trying to go out there and compete. When your team gives you a big lead, it’s going to take a lot to beat you that day.

“It was important to get a win in this series.”

The sixth was the only inning Skubal was in duress, and he quickly ended the inning getting Angel Martinez to hit into a 6-4-3 double-play.

“Lucky for me, I got to go home (early) last night,” Skubal said. “But our team, they kind of have to wear that night game to day game turnaround. And especially with an 11:30 a.m. start, I just want to be an injection of energy to the squad.”

Skubal blew through the Guardians lineup the first time through in 25 pitches. He had a seven-pitch second inning and an eight-pitch third. The Guardians tried to bunt their way on — fail. They tried to attack early in counts — fail. They tried to sit on his off-speed pitches — fail.

“He came right after us,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s an 11:35 game in the morning and he’s throwing 97 to 99 mph. He’s the best. He’s the best pitcher in baseball and he showed it today.”

“He just stayed stubborn in the zone when it was clear they were going to swing early and try to ambush him,” Hinch said. “It allows for a lower pitch count when he is on. When you see a stat on the board that he’s thrown 80 percent first-pitch strikes (finished 20 of 29), it’s clear what the competition is.

“It’s his best against their best.”

Skubal finished with 26 whiffs on 58 swings, 14 whiffs on 21 swings at the changeup. He was at 85 pitches after eight innings. There was no chance Hinch was pulling him.

“His pitch count was so manageable and they didn’t stress him but for that double-play ball in the sixth,” Hinch said. “In this era, starting pitching still matters and we are careful how we handle these guys. Pitch counts have diminished and innings totals have diminished.

“But sometimes it’s your big boy’s day and you’ve got to leave him out there. That was a really easy decision for me.”

Skubal, who had never gone beyond seven innings in his career, pitched a clean ninth, punctuating the day throwing a 102.6-mph four-seamer by Gabriel Arias to end it.

“You feed off emotion,” said Skubal, who is the first pitcher in the Statcast era to throw a pitch 102.6 mph after the sixth inning. “I’m an emotional player and I feed off the energy in the stadium. When everyone is on their feet and chanting pretty good, special things kind of happen when you are in my shoes.

“I knew it was going to come out hot. Didn’t necessarily know where it was going to go though.”

As Hinch pointed out after the game, there are no must-wins in May. But this one felt pretty significant.

“Our guys show up every day like we have to win,” Hinch said.

“We have a lot of work to do and we can get a lot better in a lot of ways. These stretches (three straight losses) are just stretches. But you find yourself getting emotionally tied to the result.

“That’s one of the reasons I preach every day about resetting. It’s because of series like this.”

Zach McKinstry’s two-run homer, off lefty starter Logan Allen, broke the seal for the Tigers’ offense in a five-run fourth inning.

“We know exactly where we’re at,” said Hinch, whose team improved to 34-20, best record in the American League. “This was important for the series, important for our team moving into the next series and important for the season series against Cleveland.

“The season wasn’t going to be won or lost today. But it is always important to respond to where you are at.”