On his way to becoming one of baseball's best pitchers, Detroit's unquestioned ace and the AL's next Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal crossed paths with a veteran pitcher — another lefty — who took him under his wing.

I don't write the script,” Matthew Boyd said, “but the person who does is really good at it.” Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize vs. Boyd in friends to foes.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Matthew Boyd gets ready to face his former team and American League Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal in Game 2 of the AL Division Series on Monday at Progressive Field.

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will get the ball on Monday and he’s facing an old teammate in Matthew Boyd.

CLEVELAND — Baseball has a way. This game can loosen ends and tie them back together. It can create storylines, dismantle them, and then bring a plot full circle. The sport unites and divides and connects again.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The first thing Tarik Skubal did when he heard that Matthew Boyd had signed with the Guardians at the end of June was send him a text message. The message said, “Traitor’ because Boyd had signed with another AL Central team.

Matthew Boyd, who pitched for the Tigers from 2015-21, and then again in 2023, took a young Tarik Skubal under his wing.

Tarik Skubal, the current ace of the Detroit Tigers, made his MLB debut in 2020. Matthew Boyd, an integral part of the Cleveland Guardians rotation today, joined the Tigers in 2015 and stayed there until 2023.