Tarik Skubal is a dominant MLB pitcher currently playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, having previously starred for the Detroit Tigers, who drafted him in the 9th round of the 2018 draft before his 2020 debut. He is a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner (2024 and 2025), and in 2024 he became the first AL pitcher since 2011 to capture both the pitching Triple Crown and the Cy Young in a full season. His path to stardom was not easy—he overcame Tommy John surgery in college, which cost him two seasons, after receiving his only Division I scholarship from Seattle University. Interestingly, his name means "strike" in Arabic, and he grew up as an Oakland Athletics fan. Skubal quickly made an impact in the majors, throwing the fastest cutter in baseball (95.4 mph) in 2020 and setting a Tigers rookie record with 100 strikeouts before the All-Star break in 2021.