RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesSPORTS 5 things to know about pitcher Tarik Skubal ahead of debut for Dodgers By Madison Weil Tuesday, August 4, 2026 4:07PM The Dodgers newest pitching ace is set to make his debut Tuesday. Here are some things to know about Tarik Skubal. AP Photo/David Banks Los Angeles' newest pitching ace is set to make his debut for the Boys in Blue.
Tarik Skubal was acquired by the Dodgers in a blockbuster trade with Detroit over the weekend. The left-hander will make his first start for the two-time defending World Series champions on Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs.
- He has won two Cy Young Awards. - Has 1,000 career strikeouts. - His fast ball sits at around 95-98 mph, but it's also reached 99. - He's 29 years old. - He hails from Hayward in Northern California.
"I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to compete with these guys," he said. "When you watch them from across the way, or just see them do their thing on TV, you just have a lot of respect because they play the game the right way."
Skubal's arrival will be a boost for the Dodgers pitching staff, which has had some health concerns with three of their World Series starters: Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani.
Skubal pitched 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball against Baltimore in his final start for Detroit last week. The Tigers blew a 7-0 lead on their way to a 10-9 loss to the Orioles in 12 innings.
The acquisition of Skubal reinforces the Dodgers' status as the majors' most imposing franchise and public enemy No. 1 for fans of other teams.
"Every team could trade for me, you know. Every team could make that acquisition," Skubal said, "and I don't really sympathize with people that blame the Dodgers for anything they've done. They've developed a really good organization. They draft well, they acquire talent really well, retain talent. It's a winning organization."
Skubal is 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings this year. He also has performed well in the postseason, going 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in six playoff starts over the past two years.
Skubal is eligible for free agency after this season, and the trade gives the Dodgers an opportunity to begin making their case for a long-term deal. But he stayed away from any free agency talk on Monday, keeping the focus on helping his new team right now.
"I'm not going to sit here and say I'm the big piece," he said. "They've been a pretty good baseball team without me. So I'm just going to try and show up and kind of be a chameleon in a sense and fit right into these guys and just, you know, gel with them. They've got the winning recipe. They understand what it takes to win."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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