The first two times Alex Bregman hit in Detroit on Wednesday night, the Red Sox star swung at the first pitch.
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal took the chance when Bregman was at third base, near Detroit’s dugout, to share his thoughts. Skubal was captured by the Tigers broadcast shouting out toward Bregman and appearing to gesture to take a pitch.
Bregman’s next time up, Skubal fired in a first-pitch fastball, and Bregman took it.
Skubal laughed.
But Bregman got the last laugh, because on the next pitch, he lined a single the other way.
Tarik Skubal telling Alex Bregman to take a pitch (because he’s ambushed him the first two ABs).
Bregman does. And then he gets a hit.
Classic. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/4QvwZQkopB
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 15, 2025
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There’s something beautifully old school about this.
In the earliest, earliest days of baseball, the batter actually told the pitcher where he wanted the ball thrown.
There are legends of Satchel Paige telling batters exactly what he was about to do and then striking them out anyway.
Pitcher-batter showdowns these days very rarely include conversation between the opposition, but this was a fun little moment in the middle of a long season.
Next time, Skubal might want to tell Bregman to make an out, not just take a pitch.
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