'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Tarik Skubal recently met with Justin Verlander, one of the most accomplished pitchers of all time and a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer one day. Skubal made his opinion on the player very clear with a pointed Instagram story.
Verlander may be approaching retirement but he's signed to a one-year, $15 million contract, ensuring that retirement isn't imminent. In the meantime, he continues to mentor younger pitchers, including those who aren't even on his team.
The Detroit Tigers ace needed just one emoji to describe his counterpart, as he used three goats to get his point across. In Skubal's eyes, Verlander is the greatest of all time.
Skubal is in a position Verlander used to be in. He's the young ace for the Detroit Tigers and a Cy Young winner. While it took Verlander until his sixth full season to secure the Cy Young, Skubal achieved the honor in just his fourth full season. Notably, Verlander also earned MVP honors in the same year he won the Cy Young.
Trending
Now, Verlander is with the San Francisco Giants. He's coming off a disappointing season with -0.3 bWAR, but he's still a reliable arm with a veteran presence, which few MLB teams have. His experience is helpful for young Giants pitchers and, apparently, young Tigers pitchers too.
Tarik Skubal set for MLB history this season
Unsurprisingly, reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal was tabbed as the Opening Day starter for the Detroit Tigers. He'll get the ball against the Los Angeles Dodgers to start the Tigers' season.
In doing so, he will become the fourth reigning Cy Young winner ever to make his first MLB start of the next season against the defending champions. Only Jack McDowell vs. the Toronto Blue Jays, LaMarr Hoyt vs. the Baltimore Orioles and Randy Jones against the Cincinnati Reds have ever done this.
Technically, it isn't the season opener for the Dodgers, as it is for Skubal and the Tigers. The Dodgers just completed a two-game regular season set against the Chicago Cubs on Mar. 18-19.
They visited Japan for the International Series and that was the official Opening Day of the MLB season, but the rest of the teams will have their first action on Mar. 27. That includes Skubal and the Tigers, who will see the vaunted Dodgers in their third game.
