Tarik Skubal's excellence this season is starting to ramp up once more, and this time, the Detroit Tigers are reaping the benefits of his explosive game as the squad has now returned to the win column – while clinching its 60th win of the season. They are the first club to reach that mark for the 2025 campaign.

In terms of Triple Crown territory, Skubal is closing in on that feat as he is moving fast in his games. He is already at 2.185 ERA, which is leading the American League, and also 1/100 runs better than Boston's Garrett Crochet (2.195), but the latter remains in the lead with 11 wins and strikeouts at 11 and 165, respectively, this just means that there's a lot to expect from Skubal's next set of games.

At this point, being at 60 wins that there are a lot of expectations for Detroit – possibly finishing the season as the top club in AL, and the best record in MLB by the end of the season. That also means that there's going to be a lot of pressure on Skubal and the rest of the squad as they seek to also make their way to the championship in the World Series now more than ever.

The First to 60 Wins

Not since the glory days of 1984 has Detroit buzzed like this in July. The 2025 Detroit Tigers just became the first team in Major League Baseball to reach 60 wins, and they're doing it with a mix of old-school grit and new-age dominance. With a 2–1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday, July 20, the Tigers punched win number 60 into the books and sent a loud message to the rest of the league:

This team is for real.

The offense was quiet for most of the afternoon, but when it mattered, it came alive. Matt Vierling stepped up in the 8th with a go-ahead RBI single that proved to be the difference. Will Vest shut the door for his 16th save of the season. Let's not forget, this team wasn't expected to hit its stride until 2026 or later. But Detroit's front office moved quickly, building around a young core while adding savvy veterans.

The payoff? A 60-40 record and an 11.5-game lead in the AL Central.

“That's what matters - we're the first to 60,” Skubal said. “That matters more than anything that I'm doing individually. I expect every time I go out there to put our team in a position to win, and we were able to do that tonight.”

The Skubal Chase and the Tigers' Glory Run

The Tigers head into a stretch of favorable matchups and look poised to be the first team to hit 70 wins as well. If they keep up this pace, home-field advantage in the postseason is in play – and maybe even a shot at matching the 1984 team's 104-win mark. For now, though, fans in Detroit can simply enjoy this moment: It's late July, and the Tigers are on top of the baseball world.

Skubal's chase for a second Triple Crown in a row is definitely fueling this run by Detroit. Roger Clemens was the last player to achieve the same feat in 1997-98 with the Toronto Blue Jays. But then again, it does seem that team wins matter even more, which says a lot about how Skubal is making a promising progress in his games now more than ever.