The Detroit Tigers gave Dillon Dingler the start behind the plate in Tuesday’s meeting with the New York Yankees at Comerica Park, and he appeared to have done a solid job catching for star pitcher Tarik Skubal. Although Skubal is more used to pitching with Jake Rogers as the catcher, he will now be seeing more of Dingler behind the dish, with Rogers placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday due to a left oblique strain.
If Tuesday’s game was any indication about the chemistry of this battery, it would seem like Skubal and Dingler have something great going on.
Skubal pitched well in the contest, leaving the Yankees scoreless for six innings, allowing only four hits while recording six strikeouts and zero walks. The 2024 American League Cy Young winner made it a point during his start to let Dingler feel that he trusts him.
“I really didn’t want to shake [a sign] today at all, because I wanted to show him that I trust him,” Skubal said following the 5-0 victory, per Jason Beck of MLB.com. “And I shook one time because I missed a pitch and I thought I could execute it again and get the result I wanted, and I didn’t. So I probably shouldn’t have shook.”
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Skubal also praised the Tigers’ catchers for their work not just on the field but behind the scenes.
“When these cameras are all gone and you watch [the catchers] sit in their lockers and do their thing, go over scouting reports — that’s where you get that trust from,” Skubal added. “He’s great back there. Our whole catching department’s great back there. Obviously Rog, we have a pretty special connection; I think that’s pretty clear. But they’ll all be great.”
Dingler didn’t just help Skubal and relief pitcher Brant Hunter sparkle against the Yankees. He also did damage at the plate, going 2-for-3, including a home run in the fourth inning that extended Detroit’s lead to four runs.
The Tigers stretched their win streak to five games following the win against the Yankees and improved their record to 7-4, good for top spot in the AL Central division, thus far.
Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He’s a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.
