Sports
Longtime friends Tarik Skubal of Tigers, Matthew Boyd of Guardians share Game 2 stage
Oct 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) reacts after a strikeout against the Houston Astros in the sixth inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Tarik Skubal’s path toward being the probable American League Cy Award winner includes receiving tutelage from former Detroit teammate Matthew Boyd.
That’s the same Matthew Boyd who will start for the Cleveland Guardians against Skubal in Game 2 of the AL Division Series on Monday afternoon in Cleveland.
“Now we’re on this stage so I think that’s pretty special,” Skubal said. “It’ll be fun to watch him go play. But I’m going to be rooting against him pretty heavily.”
Skubal (18-4, 2.39 ERA) and the Tigers are looking to even the series after Cleveland rolled to a 7-0 victory in Saturday’s Game 1.
Boyd (2-2, 2.72) pitched for the Tigers from 2015-21 and again in 2023. His second tenure ended with Tommy John surgery. Then it was Skubal’s time to be the supportive one.
“His story coming back from Tommy John and he signs with (Cleveland) and gets an opportunity to prove that he’s healthy, and he’s looked great,” Skubal said of Boyd. “So I actually watched a lot of his rehab starts, too, and texted him after those just because the process is tough. Tommy John is a tough injury to have. Just more mentally than physically.”
Skubal, 27, knows the agony of rehabbing because he did it himself. He missed the 2017 season as a college sophomore at Seattle University after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Boyd, a Seattle-area native, first heard of fellow lefty Skubal in 2018 when talking to Seattle University coach Donny Harrel. A few months later, the Tigers drafted Skubal in the ninth round.
Their relationship strengthened during the COVID-19 shortened season of 2020. Skubal reached the majors and needed work on the mental side of the game.
“I had a lot of discussions with him, just mentally, you’re worried about going up and down, how do I just focus on my job?” Skubal said. “And he had a lot of advice and a lot of good stuff for me throughout all that.
“I think that speaks to the guy he is. I think he’s the nicest guy in the world.”
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch concurred with Skubal’s scouting report.
“Man, you’re going to make me say positive things about Matt Boyd before Game 2,” Hinch said. “Everything that has been said about him really can only be positive.
“You know, baseball is incredible. It leads you to sometimes familiar places, and this one is leading us to a familiar face in a really big game against somebody who we all respect and admire.”
Boyd, 33, signed with the Guardians in late June and returned to the majors in mid-August. He didn’t face the Tigers this season. Overall, the left-hander has pitched four hitless innings in two career relief appearances against Detroit.
He will not have mixed feelings Monday, but he’s not shy about expressing his appreciation of his time with the Tigers.
“I’m grateful for my time in Detroit, and Detroit will always be a second home and I’ll always have just immense, immense gratitude for the Tigers organization and a love for Michigan because of our time there,” Boyd said.
Skubal won his lone meeting against Cleveland this season – the lefty gave up one run and 10 hits over seven innings on July 22 — and is 2-2 with a 3.46 ERA in eight starts against the Guardians.
Cleveland roughed up the Tigers for five first-inning runs in Game 1, with Lane Thomas’ three-run homer in his first career postseason at-bat being the big blow.
“I thought it was great for our guys to come out with a bang like that,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “For us to come out swinging like that and putting pressure on the other team, and obviously for Lane, we’ve loved having Lane since the first day he got here, and for him to get the big hit there, that was a big moment.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Phil Mickelson out of LIV Virginia, PGA Championship status uncertain
Aug 22, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Phil Mickelson of HyFlyers GC walks the course during the quarterfinals of the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Phil Mickelson will miss this week’s LIV Golf Virginia tournament and his status for next week’s PGA Championship is uncertain, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
The six-time major winner has only participated in one event on the 2026 LIV Golf schedule due to a family health matter.
Mickelson, 55, finished T48 at LIV Golf South Africa in March before missing last month’s Masters, where he is a three-time champion.
Scott Vincent will replace the HyFlyers GC captain for this week’s LIV Golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C.
As a two-time winner, Mickelson has a lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship. This year’s tournament will be held from May 14-17 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jon Rahm remains Ryder Cup eligible after DP World Tour deal
Apr 9, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Jon Rahm tees off on the fifth hole during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-Imagn Images Jon Rahm will remain eligible to compete for Europe in the 2027 Ryder Cup with the Spaniard reaching an agreement with the DP World Tour regarding outstanding fines and requirements to retain tour membership.
Rahm, 31, did not provide specifics but said both sides made concessions and that the agreement will allow him to play the tour without accumulating more fines. He had also taken issue with the tour requiring LIV Golf members to play in a minimum of six events — two determined by the DP World Tour — to retain membership.
“The DP World Tour and Jon Rahm have come to an agreement on conditional releases to play in conflicting tournaments on LIV Golf during the remainder of its 2026 season,” the DPWT said in a statement obtained by bunkered.co.uk.
“This involves payment of all outstanding fines accrued from 2024 to date, along with participation in agreed DP World Tour tournaments (outside the Majors) in the remainder of the 2026 season.”
Eight LIV Golf players had previously agreed to drop their appeals, pay pending fines to the DPWT and play in the mandatory minimum of six events rather than the typical four required. Rahm, who reportedly faced more than $3 million in fines, had balked at the conditions, saying they amounted to “extorting players like myself.”
However, Rahm softened his stance a bit at last month’s Masters, saying that discussions remained ongoing and that he was confident he would compete in next year’s Ryder Cup in Ireland.
“We keep talking to the DP World Tour and trying to figure out a solution that works best,” Rahm said at Augusta National. “I didn’t think that going the legal route and going to court was good for anybody. So I have faith in us and the DP World Tour we’re going to find a good solution for both of us.”
It appears that solution has been reached, and Rahm is expected to compete on the DP World Tour later this year. He said at the Masters that he hoped to play in multiple events following the conclusion of the LIV Golf season in late August, mentioning the Irish Open, the Spanish Open, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and “maybe even the (Alfred) Dunhill” as DPWT events he is looking forward to potentially playing.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LIV's Thomas Pieters: Rather retire than return to PGA Tour
Apr 4, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Thomas Pieters plays his shot from the 18th tee during the first round of the LIV Golf Miami golf tournament at Trump National Doral. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Belgium’s Thomas Pieters said he won’t return to the PGA Tour if the financially challenged LIV Golf League shutters its doors.
“I’m definitely never going back to the PGA Tour,” he recently told host Dan Rapaport of the “Dan on Golf” YouTube channel. “I’ve never liked that life. And that’s not me having a go at the PGA Tour, it’s not for me. I tried it and I just wasn’t happy there. If (LIV) goes away, I’ll probably try and play some on the European Tour or I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Pieters, 34, joined the PGA Tour in 2017 and made 53 starts, with his best finish a runner-up effort at the Genesis Open in 2017. He has six wins on Europe’s DP World Tour.
He signed with LIV Golf in 2023 and currently plays for captain Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC. He finished T4 at the 2026 season opener at Riyadh in February and third at LIV Golf Hong Kong in March.
Pieters said he was “ready to retire” if LIV Golf had decided to “pull the plug” after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced plans to cut off funding.
“The atmosphere was really grim. I had enough of it after 3-4 hours, everybody talking about it,” he said. “I’m not fussed about it at this point because I feel like I still have a duty to focus on these next six, seven tournaments on LIV and then we’ll see. They’re obviously trying to get it together next year. We’ll see.”
Pieters, a member of the 2016 European Ryder Cup team, said he will make a decision about his future after he has more information from LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil.
“We are just guessing right now,” Pieters said. “But if we’re playing for $5 million next year or I could play on the DP World Tour for $3 million but be close to home that’s something I’d have to look at it when it comes. Possibly there’s guys going. But I think that’s up to Scott and his team to get this thing together and we’ll just have to find out.
“… Scott is telling us that he’s going to a broader market and trying to fund this for next year. I guess it’s a massive challenge. But we just have to wait and see.”
–Field Level Media
Phil Mickelson out of LIV Virginia, PGA Championship status uncertain
Jon Rahm remains Ryder Cup eligible after DP World Tour deal
