The Detroit Tigers are the best team in baseball at the All-Star break, and a big reason has been the performance of Tarik Skubal. Fresh off his Cy Young Award campaign during the 2024 season, Skubal has produced an encore, going 10-3 with a 2.23 ERA and leading American League pitchers with 4.6 wins above replacement. But he has some worthy competition in New York Yankees ace Max Fried.
Fried and Skubal were both in the conversation to start for the American League in Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game, and it wasn’t certain which hurler would get the nod from AL manager Aaron Boone. While Skubal’s spot appeared to be in jeopardy, it was a heartwarming conversation that paved the way for him to take the mound first during the Midsummer Classic in Atlanta.
Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Says Max Fried Implored Him to Start MLB All-Star Game
Skubal discussed his latest achievement on Sunday afternoon when he learned he would start for the AL in the All-Star Game against National League counterpart Paul Skenes. While acknowledging the honor, he revealed that he got a call from Fried asking if he wanted to take the ball first. After deferring to Fried, the Yankees ace insisted Skubal should start, and one day later, he got a call from Boone.
“It was actually a really cool conversation [with Fried],” Skubal said via MLive’s Evan Woodbury. “It’s a very professional thing to do, and I’ve got a ton of respect for guys that do stuff like that.”
Tarik Skubal said he recently got a call from Yankees starter Max Fried.
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) July 13, 2025
"He asked me if I wanted to start (the ASG)."
Skubal deferred to Fried, especially since Fried had pitched for eight seasons in Atlanta. But Fried was insistent: "I think you deserve it. I was just…
While Skubal was deserving of becoming the first Tigers pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Max Scherzer in 2013, Fried had a similarly valid case.
Fried came over to the Yankees on an eight-year, $218 million contract last winter. He’s backed up the massive payday by challenging Skubal for the title of best pitcher in the American League, leading MLB with 11 wins and posting a 2.43 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 122 innings.
It would have been justifiable if Boone had rewarded his ace for a tremendous first half and left Skubal snubbed for the second straight season after being passed over for Corbin Burnes, who pitched for the Baltimore Orioles at the time. But Fried knows what most have learned this season. Skubal’s 2024 season was not a fluke, and he’ll be a direct competitor for this year’s Cy Young Award.
Maybe this is a better alternative than ceding a potential playoff matchup down the road. But it’s a sign of two pitchers that have respect for each other and will lead the American League into battle on Tuesday night.