Tarik Skubal's teammate shares feelings about surprise catching debut with the Tigers' star ace on the mound

Earlier this week, in a game against the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler got his first opportunity to be behind the plate and guide Tarik Skubal in his third start of the season. The rookie got the start after Jake Rogers went down with an injury.

Skubal and Dingler managed to win the game 5-0 after the reigning Cy Young winner gave them six shutout innings.

On Thursday, during an interview with MLB Network Radio, Dingler spoke about the overwhelming feeling when he was asked to start the game as a catcher.

"Yeah, there was slight panic there for about two minutes," Dingler said. "When they told me I was catching, it was like — whoa. But obviously, the thing with Tarik is — he’s so good. It made it easier."

The 25-year-old leaned on a quick pregame meeting with the coaching staff to navigate through Skubal’s start.

"You can call literally whatever you want, and all the shares are going to move how they do," Dingler said. "It’s usually going to be a good outcome."

It was a game full of emotion, as Dingler embraced the challenge and made the most of it. Skubal dominated on the mound, and Dingler called a clean game behind the dish.

"It was overall a good day. Definitely something I’ll remember," Dingler said.

Tarik Skubal speaks highly of Dillon Dingler

Tarik Skubal and Dillon Dingler posted a clean game en route to the Tigers' shutout win over the Yankees. After the game, the right-hander spoke about the connection between the two. He said that he established trust with the catcher by being in sync for most pitches.

“I really didn’t want to shake [a sign] today at all, because I wanted to show him that I trust him,” Skubal said via MLB.com. “I shook one time because I missed a pitch and thought I could execute it again and get the result I wanted — and I didn’t. So I probably shouldn’t have shaken.

“When these cameras are all gone and you watch [the catchers] sit in their lockers, go over scouting reports — that’s where you build that trust,” he added. “He’s great back there. Our whole catching department’s great. Obviously, Rog and I have a pretty special connection — I think that’s pretty clear. But they’ll all be great.”

Not only did the rookie catcher dictate action from behind the plate, but he also stole the spotlight at the plate after going 2-for-3, including a fourth-inning home run.