Team USA is set to take on Team Canada tomorrow night as the quarterfinal round of the World Baseball Classic begins. Unfortunately, the Americans have had to make some changes to their roster.
Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal pitched against Great Britain on March 7 and allowed just one run over three innings. However, the veteran left-hander chose to return to Tigers’ camp to prepare for the season.
The two-time reigning American League Cy Young has recently dealt with a lot of criticism over his decision to leave Team USA and return to the Tigers. Skubal responded to this criticism in an interview with Jayson Stark of The Athletic.
“It’s just not fair,” Skubal told Stark. “But that’s part of the business. It’s part of the game. If they know me, though, and they know me on a personal level, and they know what my peers think of me, I don’t think it’s fair to say those things.”
Tarik Skubal Responds to WBC Criticism
Ultimately, the choice was Skubal’s to make. He pitched when his number was called for the Americans against Great Britain and performed well. However, Skubal notes one thing that fans are missing about his decision and what led to it.
“I think if you ask anyone in the clubhouse, my peers … you ask any peers in that clubhouse, on Team USA, they’ve all been pretty vocally supportive of what I’ve got going on.
“And they also made a big impact on (this decision). I talked to them all personally. I took a lot of those guys aside, and (they) helped me make a decision.”
Skubal didn’t simply make a rash decision and quit the WBC. The left-hander explained that there was a process that went into his final decision and that he didn’t make it lightly.
The False Narrative
Ultimately, fans will say what they want to say over social media and create a narrative based on their emotions and not always based on facts. Skubal and his teammates are the ones who truly know what went into the decision and why the reigning Cy Young chose to head back to the Tigers.
The left-hander has a season to prepare for, and the Tigers are expected to be a clear contender this year. They will need him to be at full strength once the season starts. If he were to suffer an injury in the WBC, that would be a major setback for the Tigers as they try to bounce back from their loss in the AL division series.
The criticism of Skubal is simply nothing more than a narrative and a distraction from the outside world. Not having the reigning Cy Young may hurt Team USA’s chances of advancing deep into the tournament, but that isn’t his problem.
Skubal chose to return to the Tigers. The criticism will continue, but that doesn’t make it accurate. It will be interesting to see how Team USA fares without him as the quarterfinal round kicks off tomorrow night.
Detroit Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Claps Back after WBC Criticism