{"id":25852,"date":"2026-02-23T16:17:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T21:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/detroits-skubal-limiting-wbc-participation-to-single-game-for-team-usa\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T16:17:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T21:17:57","slug":"detroits-skubal-limiting-wbc-participation-to-single-game-for-team-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/detroits-skubal-limiting-wbc-participation-to-single-game-for-team-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit’s Skubal Limiting WBC Participation to Single Game for Team USA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

Detroit Tigers star pitcher Tarik Skubal will limit his participation in next month’s World Baseball Classic to a single appearance for Team USA.<\/p>

The two-time Cy Young Award recipient announced following his first spring training outing on Monday that he intends to make only one start during the tournament’s group stage, which kicks off March 5. After that appearance, he’ll head back to Detroit and won’t be available for any potential elimination round starts.<\/p>

Reports indicate Skubal’s single outing for the American squad will occur March 7 during pool play against Great Britain.<\/p>

“If they go to the finals, I think I’m going to try and lobby to just go watch and be with the guys,” Skubal said.<\/p>

This decision represents a setback for Team USA, which seeks its second World Baseball Classic championship and first since capturing the title in 2017. Over the past two seasons, Skubal has established himself as baseball’s premier pitcher, accumulating 31 victories combined with an ERA below 2.40 in both 2024 and 2025. Throughout his six-year career with Detroit, he’s compiled a 54-37 record with a 3.08 ERA across 137 games, including 134 starts.<\/p>

Despite Skubal’s limited availability, the U.S. roster remains deep with pitching talent, featuring 2025 Cy Young winner Paul Skenes alongside 2025 All-Stars Logan Webb, Joe Ryan and Matthew Boyd.<\/p>

Team USA has been placed in Group B and will begin tournament play March 6 against Brazil in Houston. The group also includes Great Britain, Italy and Mexico. The World Baseball Classic championship game is scheduled for March 17 in Miami.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Detroit Tigers star pitcher Tarik Skubal will make just one appearance for Team USA in next month’s World Baseball Classic before returning to his team. The two-time Cy Young Award winner plans to start only one pool play game on March 7 against Great Britain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":25851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771881476791.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-6IY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26077,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/detroits-star-pitcher-skubal-limits-team-usa-role-in-world-baseball-classic\/","url_meta":{"origin":25852,"position":0},"title":"Detroit’s Star Pitcher Skubal Limits Team USA Role in World Baseball Classic","author":"Admin","date":"February 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal will only make one start for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic next month. The two-time Cy Young Award winner wants to focus on preparing for Detroit's season opener while still representing his country.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771903901019.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771903901019.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771903901019.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771903901019.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":80105,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tigers-star-pitcher-skubal-set-to-return-saturday-after-elbow-surgery\/","url_meta":{"origin":25852,"position":1},"title":"Tigers’ Star Pitcher Skubal Set to Return Saturday After Elbow Surgery","author":"Admin","date":"June 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will make his comeback Saturday against Cleveland after missing five weeks due to elbow surgery. The two-time Cy Young Award winner had surgery in May to remove loose debris from his pitching elbow.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781195053848.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":94470,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tigers-star-tarik-skubal-reportedly-wants-to-stay-in-detroit\/","url_meta":{"origin":25852,"position":2},"title":"Tigers Star Tarik Skubal Reportedly Wants to Stay in Detroit","author":"Admin","date":"July 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal has let friends know he wants to remain with the Detroit Tigers, according to USA Today. The left-handed pitcher is in the final year of his contract and could be in line for the largest pitching free-agent deal in baseball history.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783876549895.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":34157,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tigers-star-skubal-reconsidering-world-baseball-classic-commitment-after-emotional-win\/","url_meta":{"origin":25852,"position":3},"title":"Tigers Star Skubal Reconsidering World Baseball Classic Commitment After Emotional Win","author":"Admin","date":"March 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal is having second thoughts about his original plan to make just one World Baseball Classic appearance for Team USA. The two-time Cy Young Award winner says his emotions changed after Saturday's 9-1 victory over Britain, calling it one of the toughest career decisions he's faced.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773010995432.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773010995432.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773010995432.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773010995432.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61657,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/tigers-star-pitcher-skubal-needs-elbow-surgery-after-injury-scare\/","url_meta":{"origin":25852,"position":4},"title":"Tigers Star Pitcher Skubal Needs Elbow Surgery After Injury Scare","author":"Admin","date":"May 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who has won the American League Cy Young Award twice, will undergo elbow surgery to remove loose bodies. 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