Tarik Skubal gets into shouting match with rival’s dugout after strikeout, held back by teammate

A league rivalry grew tense Friday night, with arguably the game’s best pitcher chatting away with another.

Back-to-back Cy Young Award winners Tarik Skubal and Mike Vasil shared pleasantries from their respective dugouts, which resulted in Skubal being held back.

It’s unclear exactly what led to the back-and-forth, but after striking out Colson Montgomery with the bases loaded to end the fifth inning, Skubal took a long look at the Chicago White Sox dugout and apparently offered some choice words while pointing at Vasil.

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Vasil looked a little surprised that Skubal was his prey. It was revealed that Vasil was caught in the video saying to Skubal, “Nobody was talking st.”

“I was on the top step, helping the team, cheering them on. Then the next thing I knew, I was getting worn out,” he said.

Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers reacts after striking out Colson Montgomery of the Chicago White Sox to end the top of the fifth inning on June 19, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

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“I’m a competitive guy,” Skubal said of the mix-up. “I kind of wear out my emotions, and that’s part of the way I play the game. It’s just baseball, going back and forth. It’s done. It’s done. It’s done.”

The goal came in a big spot as they preserved the 2-2 draw. Detroit eventually went on to win 4-3.

Perhaps emotions are running a little higher for the Tigers, who are in last place after miraculously winning the American League Central last year. Skubal said before the start that if the team doesn’t turn things around, fans can expect a team that looks much different after the trade deadline.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal reacts after hitting Chicago White Sox third baseman Colson Montgomery with the bases out to end the fifth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, on June 19, 2026. (Lon Horwedel/Imagn Images)

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One of those potential big moves could be Skubal himself, who will enter free agency after this season and is guaranteed a pretty decent payday. The largest contract ever given to a pitcher, in both money and years, is the 12-year, $325 million deal that Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of last year, and that was before he had even pitched an MLB pitch.

Meanwhile, the White Sox sit in first place in the league after some terrible seasons.