Tarik Skubal, a two-time American League Cy Young winner, will be leaving the United States team at the World Baseball Classic on Monday night.
The U.S. team is set to take on Mexico in the final game of group play. Skubal, who already made one start in the World Baseball Classic, will not be pitching again. Instead, he's choosing to return to the Detroit Tigers.
Skubal, who is set to enter free agency in 2027, is prioritizing his health and his future over the current U.S. World Baseball Classic team. While that's an understandable decision, not everyone loves it.
Some MLB fans have accused him of being a "coward."
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Team USA manager Mark DeRosa announced the news on Monday.
"Tarik Skubal will leave after tonight’s game and return to Tigers camp in Lakeland, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said. DeRosa said Skubal will not pitch again in the WBC," Chandler Rome reported.
MLB fans respond to Skubal's decision
"If they make the championship don’t even let that dude back. You wanna leave stay away then," one fan wrote.
"Cowardly," one fan added.
"So what was the point?" one fan added.
"What was the point of having him on the team then like he should’ve let someone else make the team," one fan added.
"Waste of a roster spot," one fan added.
"Soft," one fan added.
Team USA will be taking on Mexico in the World Baseball Classic on Monday night, with the game airing on FOX.
