Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal made his debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB), delivering a strong performance but ultimately taking the loss.
On Wednesday, Skubal took the mound at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, for an away game against the Chicago Cubs in the 2026 Major League season. He recorded a quality start, pitching six innings while allowing four hits (including one homer), two walks, and striking out six batters. He gave up just two runs in a solid outing.
However, the Dodgers’ offense was stifled, managing only four hits in a 1-5 defeat, saddling Skubal with the loss.
This game garnered significant attention as it marked Skubal’s first appearance as a Dodger. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner (2024, 2025) recently joined the Dodgers after being traded from the Detroit Tigers.
Facing the prospect of losing Skubal to free agency after this season, Detroit orchestrated a 1-for-3 trade with the Dodgers.
By adding Skubal to their already star-studded roster, the Dodgers have strengthened their bid for a third consecutive World Series title.
Donning Dodger blue, Skubal lived up to the hype with an impressive debut.
He was perfect through the first two innings, striking out three. However, he surrendered a solo home run to Dansby Swanson in the third.
In the following frame, Skubal allowed a hit to Pete Crow-Armstrong and walked Seiya Suzuki but escaped further damage by retiring Alex Bregman.
Skubal breezed through the fourth and fifth innings with perfect frames but ran into trouble in the sixth with the score tied 1-1. With one out and runners on second and third, he induced a groundout from Michael Busch, nailing the runner at home. But Nico Hoerner followed with a go-ahead run batted-in (RBI) single.
The Dodgers pulled Skubal after 85 pitches to start the seventh, turning to their bullpen. Unfortunately, Alex Vesia and Edwin Díaz struggled, allowing the Cubs to extend their lead to 5-1.
The Dodgers’ offense sputtered all night, with their lone run coming on Kyle Tucker’s solo shot in the second inning.
Shohei Ohtani, batting leadoff as the designated hitter, went 1-for-4, dropping his season average to 0.293.
The loss marks five straight defeats for the Dodgers, who now sit at 69-45 on the season, still seeking their 70th win.
