"Is the national team a joke?" Cy Young Mi Scubal will take the mound for only one game and escape from the WBC! "Watching it in the dugout when you go to the finals." Brazen

*This content was translated by AI.

Cy Young Winner's pride as the world's best pitcher was infinitely light in front of the national team mark. Tarik Skubal (30, Detroit Tigers), who has won the American League Cy Young Award for the second consecutive year and is the best left-hander in the Major League, has announced that he will leave the team after taking the mound for only one game at the 2026 WBC (World Baseball Classic).

According to multiple media outlets, including U.S. sports media ESPN, Skubal met with on-site reporters during spring camp training in Lakeland, Florida on the 24th (Korea Standard Time) and announced his plans for participating in the WBC.

Skubal was adamant. After starting only one game against England on March 7, the second group game of the U.S. national team, he will immediately pack up and return to the Detroit camp. In fact, as a national team member, he is not participating in the "journey" to win, but he is openly expressing his intention to use the WBC as a "practice game" to prepare for the season.

"I'm actually trying to do both as I prepare for this season," Skubal said. I also want to play for the national team, but I also know I have to prepare for the season with Detroit. Considering many things, this was the only way to satisfy both. I'm grateful to the club and the team for accepting those conditions," he said.

What is even more outrageous is the subsequent attitude. Skubal even revealed the audacity of "If the United States advances to the WBC final, I want to rejoin the team and support my teammates in the dugout." The ace, who should be in charge of the game on the mound, says he will remain a "VIP visitor" instead of throwing the ball at a critical moment.

Skubal has been the best starting pitcher in the major leagues for the last two years. He was considered the league's top pitcher with 13 wins, 6 losses and a 2.21 ERA in 31 games in the 2025 season. In the 2024 season, he also had an outstanding record of 18 wins and 4 losses with a 2.39 ERA in 31 games. He is the main character of the Cy Young Award for the second consecutive season. The U.S. also sought to regain the top of the WBC by establishing a one-two punch for the national team with Paul Skins (24, Pittsburgh Pirates), the winner of the National League Cy Young, but it seems to have failed.

Local fans in the United States are raising their voices of criticism over Scubal's decision. No matter how important it is to prepare for the regular season of your team, it is pointed out that it is a measure that ignores the authority of the tournament to leave after taking a spot in the national team's entry and taking the mound once. However, there is also an analysis that some complex situations such as insurance problems worked.

Meanwhile, Scubal won the salary adjustment with Detroit ahead of the 2026 season, securing an all-time salary of $32 million (about 46.2 billion won). Public criticism that he neglected his dedication as a national team member while taking all the money and honor is not expected to fade for the time being.

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*This content was translated by AI.