Skubal, Miller Commit to Team USA for 2026 WBC

Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers' ace and back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner, along with San Diego Padres reliever Mason Miller, committed to pitch for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, bolstering the squad's pitching staff ahead of the international tournament.

The announcements came on December 18, 2025, as Team USA builds on its runner-up finish in the 2023 edition, where it fell to Japan in the championship game. Skubal, 29, earned his second consecutive AL Cy Young in 2025 after leading the league with a 2.21 ERA over 31 starts, a 0.91 WHIP and 241 strikeouts. He followed a dominant 2024 season in which he paced the AL in wins with 18, ERA at 2.39 and strikeouts with 228, securing the pitching Triple Crown. Skubal joins National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the top of the rotation, creating what officials described as a formidable one-two punch.

Miller, 27, has emerged as one of Major League Baseball's premier closers, recording 50 saves over the past two seasons with the Oakland Athletics and Padres. His 43.1 percent strikeout rate leads all relievers since 2024, powered by a triple-digit fastball and slider. He...