Tyler, now 31, was Tarik's most frequent and most combative opponent. They would wrestle or play one-on-one basketball games, what Tyler calls "Skubal Games" played by "Skubal Rules," which meant the defense calls fouls and "nobody ever thinks they foul, so most Skubal Games started out competitive and ended up as boxing matches."

Hinch cited Skubal’s manageable pitch count in his previous outing, Mize’s season-high 102 pitches, Skubal’s likelihood of pitching in the All-Star Game and Detroit’s post–All-Star Break rotation strategy as factors influencing the move.