Tarik Skubal on arguing blown call: 'I didn't apologize because I didn't think I was wrong'

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was seen jawing at home plate umpire Tom Hanahan in the first inning of Detroit's 6-5 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, Aug. 8.

And now he has revealed what set him off.

In an episode of the "Foul Territory" podcast released on Monday, Aug. 11, Skubal addressed the outburst, pitch-tipping, sign-stealing and whether he would have a shot at striking out Barry Bonds.

Skubal avoided a first-inning ejection against the Angels after calling out Hanahan, saying: "Obviously, that puts our team in a horrible spot."

But based on the tape, he probably had a reason to be upset.

Why Skubal was arguing balls and strikes

Skubal shared his thoughts on Hanahan's calls after pitching to a 3-0 count to Angels designated hitter Mike Trout with two outs in the top of the first inning, which included some words not fit to print.

The 2-0 pitch, as relayed by Statcast, was very clearly in the strike zone — but that's not the one that upset Skubal.

"The pitch prior was a strike, and he 'balled' it," Skubal said. "The sequence of events is probably what led to that outburst. It wasn't just the one pitch, because I understand, everyone's human."

Skubal, who eventually got Trout to line out to third baseman Zach McKinstry to end the inning, says that he should've had at least a 1-2 count on Trout instead of a 3-0 count.

"It's one of the best hitters of all time in the box. I don't want to be in a 3-0 count to him," he said. "I think every inning matters, every pitch matters, and that's probably what I was most frustrated with."

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Though the Tigers ended up winning the game, Skubal had one of his most challenging outings of the season, giving up four earned runs over 4⅔ innings while striking out six and walking two.

When "Foul Territory" host and former MLB catcher A.J. Pierzynski brought up the possibility that Hanahan was giving Trout the star treatment, Skubal acknowledged it as "part of the game" and said that he shouldn't have argued the pitch.

But he also didn't seem that remorseful, saying: "I didn't apologize because I didn't think I was wrong, in that sense."

Skubal on sign-stealing

When asked about sign-stealing, Skubal said that he was fine with runners on second trying to relay info to batters and players in the dugout trying to pick up tipped pitches.

But there's one aspect to sign-stealing he brought up that he's not in favor of:

"The one I have a problem with is the first base coach and the third base coach that aren't in the box that they have. I don't know why they have a box if they can't just be in it," he said. "Sometimes they go way up the line and way up the other line to see things that you shouldn't be able to see when you're playing the game of baseball."

MLB rules state that base coaches are not allowed to leave their boxes "in any manner intended to draw a throw by a fielder," but this is rarely enforced.

Skubal called out two teams in particular — the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians — who he says have had base coaches stay out of the box during his starts. He especially called out Guardians' base coach Sandy Alomar Jr.:

"I've talked to him about it. I go, 'Hey Sandy, I know what you did last start. It's not going to happen again,'" he said while chuckling.

Skubal on whether he could strike out Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth

Later in the interview, Skubal said he would be happy to face MLB's home run king Barry Bonds — but not because he thinks he could get him out:

"It's a win-win situation for me," he said. "If he hits a home run off of me, I'm like, 'he's the greatest hitter of all time.' I don't care."

When asked if Babe Ruth would have a chance against modern pitching, Skubal relayed a conversation he had with Tigers' legend Alan Trammel:

"A lot of guys that are of that pedigree have a sense of pride attached to it, which is totally acceptable. I get it, they're Hall-of-Famers," he said. "But he was actually like, 'it did take me a little bit to get going, and once I got it, it's like, you know, I'm a Hall-of-Famer. I'm going to be able to do what I do.'

"I love that answer. And that's probably the same thing with Babe Ruth. ... once he gets up to date with modern baseball, I think he's going to be a game's great."

You can reach Christian at[email protected]

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tarik Skubal didn't want to apologize for yelling about bad call