DETROIT — If Tarik Skubal is actually going to be traded later this summer, the Yankees would likely be on the long list of teams interested in his services.
To what extent, given their more pressing needs, remains to be seen.
But if the back-to-back AL Cy Young winner lands elsewhere, the Yankees will at least know they have a secret weapon against him, along with some recent history of success.
In Skubal’s third start off the injured list, the Yankees did what no other team had done against him since 2021 — crush three home runs, including two from Paul Goldschmidt, on the way to a 4-2 win over the Tigers on Wednesday night at Comerica Park.
The Yankees only had four hits in six innings against the Tigers lefty, but three of them left the park. After Skubal had struck out seven of the last nine Yankees into the sixth inning, Ben Rice singled before Jasson Domínguez followed with a two-run shot — his first from the right side this season — to break a 2-2 tie.
Goldschmidt had provided the first two runs, including going deep to lead off the game, as the veteran first baseman finished the night 7-for-13 in his career against Skubal, with his four home runs tied for the most of anyone against him.
Ryan Weathers, meanwhile, outdueled Skubal in a showdown of lefties, giving up just two runs (one earned) across six innings as the Yankees secured the rubber game before flying to Boston for a four-game series against the Red Sox.
Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz and David Bednar combined for three scoreless innings of relief to secure the win. Bednar, who recorded a four-out save Tuesday, has 11 straight scoreless appearances.
Skubal, who could be the biggest prize on the trade market this summer if the Tigers cannot fully dig themselves out of the hole they created over the first two months of the season, was dominant for stretches Wednesday.
The only two Yankees base runners entering the sixth inning were Goldschmidt’s home runs, and then Skubal bested him on their third matchup by blowing a 100 mph fastball past him in the ninth pitch of the at-bat.
But Domínguez, who struck out in each of his first two at-bats against Skubal, had the last laugh when he worked a full count and then got a change-up down the middle that he clobbered for the two-run blast.
The inning prior, Max Schuemann had helped make sure that the 2-2 tie remained intact while making his third career start in center field.
Kevin McGonigle led off with a double to deep center that Schuemann nearly made a terrific grab on, only to have hit bounce out of his glove.
But Weathers quickly erased the runner when he fielded a chopper on the back of the mound and fired to third to nab McGonigle.
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Schuemann then took care of the rest, making a diving catch in the left-center field gap and then following it up with a sliding grab in the right-center field gap.
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