One-way trip

The Detroit Tigers fulfilled their dream for the last time 40 years ago. Can history repeat itself?

Well, let's go back in time to relive one of those little stories that lead us to legendary memories. But let's start with the fact that led us to it. The best pitcher on the planet, Tarik Skubal, allowed two home runs Tuesday night against the Athletics. His sixth pitch of the game, a 96 mph fastball in the middle of the strike zone, was hit at 110 mph by Brent Rooker, sparking a 415-foot home run to left field at Comerica Park.

A little later, in the top of the second inning with two outs, rookie Denzel Clarke crushed a changeup that landed on Skubal in the middle of the plate. The ball ended up 422 feet from home plate at Comerica Park. Two home runs allowed with runners on base before getting the first six outs of the game? Yes, it was a rare sight. And it's the first time it's happened to the most dominant pitcher in baseball these days.

Skubal has allowed at least two home runs in 16 of his 122 career games. None of them came with runners on base before Skubal got the first six outs in a start. So we were witnessing a rarity. It had been 343 batters faced since Skubal had allowed multiple home runs in a game. It was precisely on Opening Day this year, when Tommy Edman (in the bottom of the second inning) and Teoscar Hernández (in the bottom of the fifth) hit a pair of blasts that had the fans at Dodger Stadium jumping with excitement.

We should also note an interesting point: this is Skubal's second consecutive start in which the game was delayed. This time, the weather delay was one hour and 21 minutes. So that start was a bit awkward for the Tigers' ace. Then, Skubal did what he always does boldly and ferociously: make hitters look like fencers, trying to hit his pitches without luck.

For the rest of the game, he pitched four scoreless innings and struck out six with no walks. He was the winner again. He improved his record to 9-2 with a 2.29 ERA. The Tigers have gone 12-4 when Skubal takes the mound. He's undoubtedly been a great guarantee of victory, the ace of the rotation for the most consistent team of this first half of the season. The Tigers became the first team to reach 50 wins, but the most remarkable thing is that they've done it in their first 80 games.

They haven't achieved that pace since 2006, when they started with a 55-25 record. However, they failed to lead the Division that year. So, if we continue looking back in time, the next great start date is 1984. The team that year also started with a 55-25 record and finished the regular season with an impressive 104-58 record. They won the Divisional pennant and subsequently won the World Series against the San Diego Padres in five games.

This is where the connection and the story I want to tell you come in. On that 1984 Detroit team, there was a 27-year-old rookie who played six positions and became a starter on the best team in the Major Leagues that year. That player was Cuban Bárbaro Garbey, who left Cuba on a raft in the early 1980s and achieved his dream of playing in the Major Leagues.