Who are Tarik Skubal's parents & wife? All you need to know about the pitcher's family as he looks to lead Tigers into MLB 2024 playoffs
Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal put in yet another impressive performance to help his team take a 1-0 lead in their Wild Card series against the Houston Astros on Tuesday. He has led the Tigers to an impressive season this year.
Skubal was born to Russ and Laura Skubal in Hayward, California, and is the third child amongst four brothers: Tyler, Trent and Treyvor. Tarik met his wife Jessica during their high school years, where they started dating, and eventually tied the knot in November 2021. After getting married to Tarik, Jessica gave birth to their first and only child, Kasen, in October 2023.
After high school, Jessica attended Arizona State University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting. She then went on to get a Master's Degree in Taxation and has been working as a tax accountant since then.
Skubal's parents, Russ and Laura, moved to Kingman, Arizona, when Tarik was 12 years old and have lived there since. Laura is a huge baseball fan who followed the Athletics and the Giants over the years, while Russ is a high school science teacher and a high school basketball coach.
Parents to four boys, the Skubals created a competitive environment for their children, which helped Tarik become the athlete he is today.
Tarik Skubal played college baseball for the Seattle Redhawks after finishing high school and was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2017 MLB Draft. However, he chose not to sign and returned to playing college ball for another year.
In 2018, he was selected by the Detroit Tigers, with whom he went on to make his major league debut in 2020. Since then, he has grown into the team's starting rotation and delivered a breakthrough season this year.
Tarik Skubal makes Tigers history with six scoreless innings in Wild Card Series vs. Astros
Detroit Tigers southpaw Tarik Skubal continued his Cy Young calibre season with six scoreless innings against the Houston Astros in their first playoff game. He became the first pitcher in Tigers history to throw a scoreless start in the team's first game of the preseason.
This makes him only the fourth player in franchise history to throw six shutout innings in his playoff debut. The last player to do this was Max Scherzer in 2011.