Tarik Skubal called Fenway Park his favorite ballpark, and on Saturday he got another chance to pitch in it. The Tigers left-hander, 6-feet-3-inches and 240 pounds, said he was going to enjoy the outing and not think about next year until this season was over.
Skubal first visited Fenway with Detroit in 2021 and said he changed as quickly as he could so he could sit outside and look around. He said the tunnel to the field felt old and full of history, the kind of place where a player can feel connected to the game before he even throws a pitch. He has pitched there twice in his big league career, but the results have not matched the setting. In 10 innings at Fenway, Skubal is 0-2 with 11 runs allowed, 10 earned.
That record matters because Skubal is coming to the ballpark as one of the game’s biggest arms and as a free agent at year’s end, which gives every start in Boston a longer shadow than most. He is 2-2 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts, and he made clear where his attention is now. “I’m just trying to win,” he said. “That’s what really matters at the end.”
The Red Sox had their own moving parts before the game. Alex Cora reconfigured the lineup on Friday, leaving Roman Anthony in the leadoff spot and bringing Willson Contreras back after he sat Wednesday with back stiffness. Wilyer Abreu hit third and Trevor Story batted cleanup, while Carlos Narváez was out for a second straight game. Narváez was hitting.195/.214/.195 with no extra-base hits, 14 strikeouts and one walk, a slump that forced Cora to keep looking for answers. “He’s struggling,” Cora said, adding, “Right now, there’s a lot of thinking that’s going on.”
Boston also had several injuries still shaping the roster. Justin Slaten might start throwing this weekend for the first time since going on the injured list on April 8, Kutter Crawford may get an MRI after forearm discomfort following his rehab outing last Saturday, and Romy Gonzalez has started taking ground balls while recovering from left shoulder surgery. For a game that carries weight because of Skubal’s presence and Fenway’s pull, the Red Sox are still balancing the present tense with what comes next.
